Post-Game Talk: Qualifying Round Game 1: Caps vs Bolts | Mon, 8/3 | 4p ET

[itsjustsurvival]

Nick Backstrom's passes were off all game. I've definitely never typed that before. Hopefully just rust.

Hagelin had the best game for the Caps I thought.

I like Panik as a 4th liner.

Vrana was bad. At one point he passed to Kovalchuk and Kovalchuk was ready to run a give and go but Vrana was coasting after his pass.

Caps tightened up after giving up some quality chances early.

I keep noticing that with Vrana. He seems reluctant to skate hard.

Other thoughts from the game:

Dillon Orlov is a nice pair.
Backstrom was not great.
Top line looks good.
Jensen had a good game.
Third line also looked good to me.
Kovalchuk seems so close to putting something together.
Gudas and Kempny were not good.

 

[HTFN]

Nick Backstrom's passes were off all game. I've definitely never typed that before. Hopefully just rust.

Hagelin had the best game for the Caps I thought.

I like Panik as a 4th liner.

Vrana was bad. At one point he passed to Kovalchuk and Kovalchuk was ready to run a give and go but Vrana was coasting after his pass.

Caps tightened up after giving up some quality chances early.

Am I missing something, because I thought he was instantly more effective and noticeable when moved to 3RW. Was he not permanently moved and I just didn't realize they went back?

 

[HecticGlow]

Am I missing something, because I thought he was instantly more effective and noticeable when moved to 3RW. Was he not permanently moved and I just didn't realize they went back?

Panik scored while on the third line, but only in a 5 minute stretch when Oshie was in the box with a fighting major and Kovulchuk was bumped up to 2RW.

 

[ovikovy817]

Well, if we win our 2 games and Bolts lose 1 in regulation. We can still be first.

 

[tenken00]

I keep noticing that with Vrana. He seems reluctant to skate hard.

We need Vrana to skate hard though. His speed is what makes the 2nd line go. We are at the point where Backstrom and Oshie rely on Vrana and not the other way around anymore with him putting pressure on the opposing defense.

 

[txpd]

Watching Hagelin smoke those guys for a breakaway was a hoot. Watching the puck jump 6" off the ice without him touching it was just weird

 

[Firsov99]

I think everyone will be a pain. Don't like the format. Lower seeds are already playing the playoff hockey, while the higher seeds aren't.

I think the format is fair considering the unusual circumstances. I would rather have the Caps play against NYI-FLA or PIT-MON winners.

 

[HecticGlow]

I think everyone will be a pain. Don't like the format. Lower seeds are already playing the playoff hockey, while the higher seeds aren't.

Technically if a team like Carolina has a 3-game sweep, they'll be off the ice for longer than the higher seeds. And the longer those series go on and the more competitive they become, the more likely it is for key players to become injured, while we can afford to have a guy who isn't 100% rest because the outcome doesn't overly matter.

There are good and bad things about this format, but I'm not convinced it does necessarily benefit any one team greatly more than another (beyond giving a team like Montreal the chance to make the playoffs where they had almost no chance before the pause).

 

[marcel snapshot]

Most important thing to me is that Holtby looked good and kept them close until they found their game

 

[895]

Extra rest doesn't help Carolina at all. They've been resting for 4 months.

 

[Raikkonen]

Iirc last time Carlson had a long layoff because of injury it was very similar both in accident appearance and his then DTD status before it became 15 or so games.

Fortunately team has more defenders now.

Backstrom is not a concern to me. Its Caps fate. Hoping he will become better.

 

[Devil Dancer]

The NHL updated the NHL.TV app for the PS4 and it's a mess. The fast forward and rewind features have been downgraded, and the "Watch from the beginning" option took me to the post game show, which spoiled the whole game for me. Boo!

The good news is they have improved the web browser version, but I prefer to watch on my big TV through the PlayStation.