Post-Game Talk: Rangers @ Capitals - October 22

[Ori]

If this doesn't sum up the GDT in the first 20 minutes, I don't know what does.

Huge win.

Well he probably read HF Boards.
Vesey best game this season.

 

[Glen Sathers Cigar]

That was horrible tending on the 2nd Vesey goal. Holtby goes down early for no reason and then pushes up to his feet right as Vesey is taking the shot. Vesey had like 60% of the net to slide it to either at the far post or through the legs.

Agreed, that was ugly from Holtby. He looked super awkward there like he got caught in no man's land.

 

[FLYLine27*]

Didn't expect a rookie to make such a powerful move to net so he didn't know what to do.

 

[NickyFotiu]

Well, what were your expectations after losing Yandle and inserting a bunch of rookies into our team (top 6, bottom 6, defense)?

Would I like for this team to be 5-0? Absolutely. But to be 3-2 and in 2nd for goals per game in the NHL despite having no real elite talent shows me that we arguably have the deepest forward crops in the NHL.

What do you do when you have so much talent up front? Use it to fill in the holes on the back. The direction of the team is very promising despite a pedestrian 3-2 record.

My feelings have nothing to do with our record. I hope I'm wrong. May/June is a long way from October so we have plenty of time to get better.

 

[SnowblindNYR]

I bet anyone 100% if we had the D personnel from 13-14 and they played like they did now people would criticize them for some plays but wouldn't go nearly as crazy about our D overalll. They were supposed to be terrible and instead have been ok (not great) but because people expected them to be terrible they just will say they're terrible no matter what they do.

 

[darko]

Cap fan says his team lost to an 'inferior opponent'. . Don't know where the Rangers are inferior but ok.

Overall as a team we are inferior. Caps are really good. This is a big win against top-2 team in hockey.

 

[Raspewtin]

the Caps are not even a top 5 team in hockey

 

[One Winged Angel]

there's a lot of positives to take from tonight

• McDonagh made the Caps his *****
• Vesey had 2 goals, which IMO is cool
• Win despite a quiet night from the Z-line
• Hank had a .929%
• 4 goals scored against a team that had only allowed 5 coming in
• Edge in shot attempts for 2/3 of the game
• 0-2 comeback
• Hayes looked great

Lot of good points touched on here Auf, well done.

I'll add a few others...

- Nash played great. Under the radar kind of game. It'll always be that way unless he scores.
- 4th line made things happen and at times was carrying the team.
- All of the lines chipped in at one point or another.
- Marc Staal has continued his good play and Klein looks like he hasn't missed a beat.

It hasn't been that bad this year. Marc Staal has been borderline good. McDonagh looks like McD. I like Clendening. Fact of the matter is it is still our weakest area. Wouldn't be bad to upgrade if we can.

Borderline? I'm a big critic of Staal and Girardi, but Marc has been pretty damn good.

I'll give credit where credit is due.

Well he probably read HF Boards.
Vesey best game this season.

Vesey has played great. He should have had 2 goals in the St. Louis game and possibly another in the Detroit game. His efforts have been solid and he's a much smarter and better defensive player than I ever though, despite what I've seen from him at the WJC's and in College.

 

[Raspewtin]

Staal has had good games against San Jose and Washington but other than being mildly quicker I see no difference in him. Same lobsterclaws overpaid #5 he's been since last year.

 

[JESSEWENEEDTOCOOK]

the Caps are not even a top 5 team in hockey

They are top 5 at winning in the regular season and scoring goals at the very least.

They're top 1 at losing in the second round doe

 

[TheTakedown]

Rewatched some of the game tonight and Nick Holden literally misplays 2 or 3 basic maneuvers in a period. Can't settle the puck down, the puck leaves the offensive zone. Can't find the puck in his feet, extended defensive zone time. Can't make a basic pass to the open man, turnover. Standing still in the defensive zone, unable to do anything except get pressured off the puck while standing still, still. Whiffs on puck in the defensive zone and offensive zone, there goes your transition pass or offensive zone time. So many basic hockey plays that goes wrong with him. Like, basic stuff that Dan Girardi can do. Holden is literally a young and healthy poor man's Girardi. That's how you go about in deciding who you want. Old injured Girardi or Young and healthy poor man's Girardi.

It's no wonder av loves him

 

[darko]

the Caps are not even a top 5 team in hockey

Name your 5.

 

[Chimpradamus]

I seriously think saying, "the defense is ugly", is the cool thing to say in here. Staal and McD had tremendous games. Look at shots and shot attempts this year.... the defense is better than last year so far. Deal with with it.

Cool thing? I think it has more to do with giving up all quality scoring chances consistently, and by quality, I mean quality. Like leaving someone completely alone right in front of the net, allowing a player to uncontested fire away with all the time in the world right in the slot, etc. This team won't get anywhere with this kind of defense. Guess which goalie faced the most shots and the most quality scoring chances last season? Our goalie.

Someone wrote we should be happy the team played solid defense in the 3rd period. Once upon a time, we were happy when they played solid defense apart from a period, not when they only played well one period.

Staal has been fine if you never expect him to hit an open net or make a pass. He doesn't skate around like a headless chicken as much as last season though, so far.

 

[Ola]

We are 3rd in the league in FOs.

 

[ponytrekker]

Didn't watch but saw 6 min shortened game on nil.com

1.. Pirri should stay on 3rd line.
2. Noticed all 5 skaters below the dots in 3rd pd. Good.
3. We get papa johns today. Good.
4. We are not getting new D man tomorrow. Bad.

 

[Levitate]

Cool thing? I think it has more to do with giving up all quality scoring chances consistently, and by quality, I mean quality. Like leaving someone completely alone right in front of the net, allowing a player to uncontested fire away with all the time in the world right in the slot, etc. This team won't get anywhere with this kind of defense. Guess which goalie faced the most shots and the most quality scoring chances last season? Our goalie.

Someone wrote we should be happy the team played solid defense in the 3rd period. Once upon a time, we were happy when they played solid defense apart from a period, not when they only played well one period.

Staal has been fine if you never expect him to hit an open net or make a pass. He doesn't skate around like a headless chicken as much as last season though, so far.

Every team gives up quality scoring chances even if they have the best defense in the league. The problem last year was the Rangers would give up quality scoring chances constantly and get hugely outchanced all game long. They seem to be better at that so far this year, we'll see how far it gets them.

But you can't expect to play against teams like the Caps and not give up several high quality shots in the game

 

[Mugless]

Vesey like Sunday morning.

 

[Fitzy]

Very tough game for Adam Clendening.

It's clear AV doesn't trust him in late game situations either.

I think if we get Vatanen, he becomes expendable and gets demoted.

 

[BroadwayStorm]

Pirri is a one dimensional player. But his one dimension is deadly. I don't mind carrying this dude.

 

[Jaromir Jagr]

Very tough game for Adam Clendening.

It's clear AV doesn't trust him in late game situations either.

I think if we get Vatanen, he becomes expendable and gets demoted.

This would be fine. Unfortunately it seems that AV thinks if we get Girardi he becomes expendable.

For a guy who preaches puck movement and quick transition, AV despises players are are good at it.

Stralman
Yandle
Clendening

 

[Vitto79]

Pirri is a one dimensional player. But his one dimension is deadly. I don't mind carrying this dude.

For sure he has to play PP and 4th line otherwise . Going to be interesting when Lindberg is back

 

[Vitto79]

This would be fine. Unfortunately it seems that AV thinks if we get Girardi he becomes expendable.

For a guy who preaches puck movement and quick transition, AV despises players are are good at it.

Stralman
Yandle
Clendening

Clendening was involved in goals . Skjei goes down right now when all 8 are healthy

 

[Vitto79]

The season is young but I'm not as impressed by our team as most our fans. I hope I'm wrong but right now I dont see a team that will win in the playoffs.

I'm pretty confident w forwards and in goal so it comes down to getting a Rd and that may need to wait for free agency . Team has promise though based on the first 5 games

 

[nyrage]

Overall as a team we are inferior. Caps are really good. This is a big win against top-2 team in hockey.

The funny thing is that I've seen that from fans of the three teams we have beaten.

Everyone is still believing the off-season rhetoric that we are on the way down, garbage, and missing the playoffs. Somehow the myth that we are a bad offense exists out there, too.

We may not win a Cup this year, but I expect this team to make the playoffs. We can even win a round or two if improve the defense.

 

[gorangers0525]

I still hate how that 3rd period played out. I think this year, the Rangers are much more capable of keeping some pressure on late in winning games. The fact that McDonagh was used for the sole purpose of dumping the puck in the third disgusts me...especially with how dynamic he's looked. But I guess some things will never change. Can't really blame him, everytime he caused a turnover, which happened a lot, AV would pull everyone off for a line change.