Post-Game Talk: Regular Season Game #1: Pens @ Caps | 4/26/18 | 7:00pm EST

[Alexander the Gr8]

How do you figure i don’t get enjoyment? Hockey is entertaining. By definition, i get enjoyment. I’m just not going to invest myself and think they have a shot of winning because all evidence points to the contrary.

No need to try to fan police. Especially after decades of evidence to the contrary

If we don't support them, then no one will. I think this team needs support from its fans as well. Capital One Arena was as quiet as a church, it was pathetic to hear Wes Johnson say in the PA system that it was too quiet in there.

I'm not fan policing at all, I just find it lame that some of us give up after one closely contested loss. We have a shot at winning the series, it's just small. It's what we call the puncher's chance.

If you don't want to encourage them, it's fine. You have the right to refuse to believe in this team.
Personally, I will quit being a Caps fan before I get to that point.

 

[trick9]

Game, set and match.

Who honestly didn't see this coming?

 

[Portable Mink]

Dont think ill watch game 2. if we goto Pittsburgh 1-1 ill prob tune back in for game 3. but until we are even in the series, im not committing myself to more pain.

Just not worth it at all.

 

[Bladerunner]

Recently got back and finished a snack... sigh.
Caps scored two pretty goals and not one fortuitous/ greasy goal. Pitt got one pretty and two ugly's.
The ice was awful, puck were bouncing over sticks left and right. Seemed to affect the Caps more than Pitt. Oh surprise Pitt got 1 more PP.
Pitt's O is better than ours, barely, without 71. With 71 it's better. The Caps D +Holtby will have to outplay their opposites.

Only read the last page and a half but as someone alluded above, this isn't Cbus. Caps need to win on Sunday.

 

[OviTaughtMe]

If we don't support them, then no one will. I think this team needs support from its fans as well. Capital One Arena was as quiet as a church, it was pathetic to hear Wes Johnson say in the PA system that it was too quiet in there.

I'm not fan policing at all, I just find it lame that some of us give up after one closely contested loss. We have a shot at winning the series, it's just small. It's what we call the puncher's chance.

If you don't want to encourage them, it's fine. You have the right to refuse to believe in this team.
Personally, I will quit being a Caps fan before I get to that point.

I hear the “well the fans were quiet” thing all the time and i can never wrap my head around it. At the beginning of the rock the red era, the home crowds were insane.

It literally never made a difference. Ever.

FedEx field rocks for Skins playoff games. It doesnt make a difference. Same for Nats and Wizards

Seems like nothing but another way to deflect blame from where it should be going, which is the players and coach

Plus, i think the crowd was fine. They were chanting immediately after the Pens tied it. Even if every single person stood and screamed for 60 minutes, would that have changed anything? I doubt it

Maybe we should stop blaming the people that spend exorbitant amounts of money to watch something that rarely brings them joy outside of the fact that it is THEIR team that they have passion for. No matter if they cheer blindly or not

 

[aquablue]

I suggested we get Kessel years ago. However, people were extremely against it. I think we could have done something to swing him, but people were too in love with the core and the youth were untouchable. He could have helped us. Look at how he has helped Pitt win 2 cups and here we are with Backstrom still playing soft hockey and our prospects who are nothing amazing. We picked up Oshie instead which was a bad decision. Look how much we need a guy like Kessel on the wing now, someone to bring more scoring and a big shot. OV can't do it all by himself lads.

I don't see this core winning. I would trade Backstrom after this season since OV is not going anywhere for business reasons primarily. I think we'll never win a cup with our core. More do or die type guys are needed with skill and drive who will do it all for a cup, not some fellows who come to DC to pick up a paycheck every year. Need people who bleed for a cup on the caps, care about DC and for whom the Cup is their main driving force in life. I don't get that from anybody but OV on the core team roster. Backstrom is not really needed now given Kuzy does the same thing better and he historically isn't a force in the playoffs.

TLDR: I suggest a trade if we are knocked out. Backstrom should be the first one to leave and a high impact scorer coming back since Kuzy can be our primary center. Backstrom is a 1B center and that is too costly a luxury when we lack goals.

 

[aquablue]

The caps are rather bad but it is not suprising. I stopped watching the caps now after having been a fan since the early 90's and having seen too many bad seasons. I only watch the playoffs now, primarily just to watch them flounder like the useless fish they are and remind myself how right I was that change was needed years ago, bold change to the core of the team. No, I don't truly believe that the core of the caps is dedicated enough to win a cup even if they say they are. I see soft and lazy plays on the ice. I see a "do not care enough" attitude. I see not enough scoring. If they had done what I had suggested and traded away some future and soft and uninterested looking Backstrom for something better, maybe they would be in a better spot now. A scrub like Wilson shouldn't be our first line winger.

 

[OviTaughtMe]

Good god almighty....smh

Yeah this thread is done.

Wow dude

 

[OviTaughtMe]

Edited. No need to respond to that post...

 

[Bladerunner]

I hear the “well the fans were quiet” thing all the time and i can never wrap my head around it. At the beginning of the rock the red era, the home crowds were insane.

It literally never made a difference. Ever.

FedEx field rocks for Skins playoff games. It doesnt make a difference. Same for Nats and Wizards

Seems like nothing but another way to deflect blame from where it should be going, which is the players and coach

Plus, i think the crowd was fine. They were chanting immediately after the Pens tied it. Even if every single person stood and screamed for 60 minutes, would that have changed anything? I doubt it

Maybe we should stop blaming the people that spend exorbitant amounts of money to watch something that rarely brings them joy outside of the fact that it is THEIR team that they have passion for. No matter if they cheer blindly or not

Don't know what to add except I think "Easy" and you both made good, not particularly contradicting, points.

I'll watch/follow the games the rest of this series, however doubt I'll attend another one. Have had enough of this deja vu experience vs that team. If they advance I'll most likely go the the Vault and see them square off vs Bs or Bolts.

 

[aquablue]

I don't know why we kept this lazy core together for so long. I really don't see them doing shit, sorry. They look uninterested, quite clearly. I'm pretty objective as an observer, since I hardly watch the caps anymore and have lost any former emotional attatchment. Ovie is the only exception, but still he isn't half of what he used to be. Should have got Kessel years ago and dumped soft Backstrom and MoJo. At least they got rid of MoJo. After this season 2 and out I expect them to dump Backstrom, pretty sure it will happen. You can fire the coach again, but that isn't going to help anyway. It's got to be a core adjustment for the caps to move on to a cup before OV hangs them up.

 

[Portable Mink]

fml

 

[aquablue]

Dont think ill watch game 2. if we goto Pittsburgh 1-1 ill prob tune back in for game 3. but until we are even in the series, im not committing myself to more pain.

Just not worth it at all.

Do what I did. Pick up an activity ( ie., video game, or some other pleasurable experience) and watch only when they are winning. It's a nicer option and there is no need to waste precious life time killing yourself over a sports team that is destined to be perennial chokers with such mismanagement from the top.

 

[ovikovy817]

It is sooooooo ****ing frustrating to lose that way. Would prefer a blowout, if you lose 3-2 or 10-0 it's the same, only 1 game to 0 for the opponent.

It was luck vs skill, and the luck won the game.
Just look at those goals. ****
We were the better team

ps: thank you refs for a 30 seconds PP on a make up call. Letang thought it was hollywood or what?

I hope for a 45 seconds PP in the next game


Edit: re holtby

you serious guys? blaming him for a deflection??
Already forgot how many good stops he had in the first two periods?

 

[Skrudland2Lomakin]

Vent, stew, pick up the pieces, it's only Game 1.

My fear is that the reason we're the Capitals is because after a Game 1 like this we all revert to this doom and gloom scenario (with good reason), listening to the exit interviews last season it sounded like the Caps are the same. We need to come out and focus on playing a full 60, we were the better team tonight for 55 minutes, let's put it together, we can beat these guys.

 

[Capsman]

Looking at that last Connolly play, it wasn't as much a choke job on his part as I thought. It was indeed a bouncing puck with a Pens defenseman swinging his stick. My original thought that he could skate straight and backhand, I'm not so sure about any more.

OV has tremendous difficulty handling any puck that isn't laying flat. That second goal just boggles my mind.

 

[Blades of Steel]

this won't be a popular opinion but like I said in the first series, short leashes for the goalies. not that I blame holtby on this game or anything but it seems to have some sort of magic in the playoffs when you make a change in the net, just look how many times it's sparked other teams against us in the past.

give holtby the next game, if we lose, switch it up again and get pissed.

insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.

 

[Skrudland2Lomakin]

I suggested we get Kessel years ago. However, people were extremely against it. I think we could have done something to swing him, but people were too in love with the core and the youth were untouchable. He could have helped us. Look at how he has helped Pitt win 2 cups and here we are with Backstrom still playing soft hockey and our prospects who are nothing amazing. We picked up Oshie instead which was a bad decision. Look how much we need a guy like Kessel on the wing now, someone to bring more scoring and a big shot. OV can't do it all by himself lads.

I don't see this core winning. I would trade Backstrom after this season since OV is not going anywhere for business reasons primarily. I think we'll never win a cup with our core. More do or die type guys are needed with skill and drive who will do it all for a cup, not some fellows who come to DC to pick up a paycheck every year. Need people who bleed for a cup on the caps, care about DC and for whom the Cup is their main driving force in life. I don't get that from anybody but OV on the core team roster. Backstrom is not really needed now given Kuzy does the same thing better and he historically isn't a force in the playoffs.

TLDR: I suggest a trade if we are knocked out. Backstrom should be the first one to leave and a high impact scorer coming back since Kuzy can be our primary center. Backstrom is a 1B center and that is too costly a luxury when we lack goals.

I mean I can suggest we go after the best players in the league every year until it makes me blue in the face, it doesn't make me a guru. That Pitt was able to get that deal done without giving up anything major is what really is amazing about the deal. I don't think anyone ever thought Kessel was bad, he just didn't seem worth what was the assumed asking price (which it turned out was not accurate).


Regarding Oshie, the dude is a Pens killer, read their board, they hate him, they see him as their kryptonite, it's funny that you cite him as a bad choice. 77 was locked in last night, he's clearly not 100% but he was one of our better players.

I'm not opposed to moving Backstrom, but he's not a 1B center, he's a 1B center on a team with Kuznetsov, that's not typical of 95% of the other teams in the league. I also think if you're griping with him for not directly producing goals you don't fully understand the role of Center and what exactly Backstrom brings to the table.

 

[Skrudland2Lomakin]

this won't be a popular opinion but like I said in the first series, short leashes for the goalies. not that I blame holtby on this game or anything but it seems to have some sort of magic in the playoffs when you make a change in the net, just look how many times it's sparked other teams against us in the past.

Agreed, another performance like G1 and we got to go to Grubi

 

[maacoshark]

Soft shot slipped into his side . good positioning stops that 9x out of 10.

Are you talking about the Crosby goal?

 

[Langway]

I'm not opposed to moving Backstrom, but he's not a 1B center, he's a 1B center on a team with Kuznetsov, that's not typical of 95% of the other teams in the league. I also think if you're griping with him for not directly producing goals you don't fully understand the role of Center and what exactly Backstrom brings to the table.

But it's not like Backstrom was tasked with a supreme shutdown role in this one. Trotz went power vs. power and left Backstrom for mostly Kessel's line and then some against their other two lower lines. In that situation, Backstrom absolutely needs to produce. He doesn't necessarily need to score himself but he needs to produce offensively and he didn't. They're a bit limited for the time being with Burakovsky not available but Stephenson in that sort of usage is less understandable.

The reality is they have four steady top six players plus an energy guy in Wilson and a fast but inconsistent, non-shooter in Stephenson. They have Eller between two players that probably should be on any serious team's fourth line. They have Vrana in the lineup as an afterthought along with a couple of grinder plugs. They've not been configured to beat Pittsburgh up front. Burakovsky being out shouldn't shoot their depth to shit. Cap constraints and poor drafting/development have them icing almost half a forward group of cast-offs and little in the way of key execution. That's why it's so important that Backstrom be way more of a contributor. It's maybe unfair but if he can't manage that now, I'm not sure a new coach will be able to change that. They'll need much more of an offensive and general IQ maestro than Mr. Try Hard with his kitchen sink mentality but the pieces themselves likely also need to be much better. Their fundamentals at this pace remains weak.

 

[Skrudland2Lomakin]

But it's not like Backstrom was tasked with a supreme shutdown role in this one. Trotz went power vs. power and left Backstrom for mostly Kessel's line and then some against their other two lower lines. In that situation, Backstrom absolutely needs to produce. He doesn't necessarily need to score himself but he needs to produce offensively and he didn't. They're a bit limited for the time being with Burakovsky not available but Stephenson in that sort of usage is less understandable.

The reality is they have four steady top six players plus an energy guy in Wilson and a fast but inconsistent, non-shooter in Stephenson. They have Eller between two players that probably should be on any serious team's fourth line. They have Vrana in the lineup as an afterthought along with a couple of grinder plugs. They've not been configured to beat Pittsburgh up front. Burakovsky being out shouldn't shoot their depth to ****. Cap constraints and poor drafting/development have them icing almost half a forward group of cast-offs and little in the way of key execution. That's why it's so important that Backstrom be way more of a contributor. It's maybe unfair but if he can't manage that now, I'm not sure a new coach will be able to change that. They'll need much more of an offensive and general IQ maestro than Mr. Try Hard with his kitchen sink mentality but the pieces themselves likely also need to be much better. Their fundamentals at this pace remains weak.

Agreed, and I've said it since last May, to beat Pitt we need rely more heavily on our youth and speed. That Barry is just sending out a slight variation of the same line up that was smoked the last two years by this team is upsetting.

Ovechkin-Kuzy-Wilson
Vrana-Backstrom-Oshie
Stephenson-Eller-DSP
Gersich-Beagle- Connolly/Chiasson/Walker/Whoever shows they want it more in practice

Kempny-Carlson
Orlov-Niskanen
Orpik-Djoos

Holtby



Put speed on all four lines and roll them. We scored our goals by creating space with speed and pacing, why the hell we think we're going to win by grinding it out in the bottom 6 and relying solely on our top 6 is beyond me.

 

[Bladerunner]

Looking at that last Connolly play, it wasn't as much a choke job on his part as I thought. It was indeed a bouncing puck with a Pens defenseman swinging his stick. My original thought that he could skate straight and backhand, I'm not so sure about any more.

OV has tremendous difficulty handling any puck that isn't laying flat. That second goal just boggles my mind.

Tremendous? Most players did last night. The ice must have been middling or worse, even for Capital One

While shot totals were moderate, both teams had many high scoring area chances. Holtby made some superb saves, as did MM. Holtby is not the reason the Caps lost game 1.

 

[kovy1335]

I take solace in the fact that we live in a nice area and they live in ****ing Pittsburgh...

That’s pretty much all i got. Otherwise, they ****ing own us lol

Have you spent much time in Pittsburgh, though? It's really not a bad place.

Ovie looked dialed in. Tough loss.

 

[Blades of Steel]

Chiasson is so confusing to me.

He gets some damn good chances, he gets in good positions, he's so close, but he's not skilled enough to consistently put the puck in the net.