fedfed
@FedFedRMNB
Fun fact: There's an entirely possible scenario under which by the end of the night the Caps will be the worst team in the NHL standings not named Carolina or Buffalo.
The Annual Tank Thread 2014-15
- Thread starter fedfed
- Start date
Hivemind
We're Touched
trick9
Registered User
- Jun 2, 2013
- 12,223
- 5,267
Schedules:
WSH:
@ Chicago (Friday)
vs. Carolina (Saturday)
vs. Columbus (Tuesday)
BUF:
vs. Montreal (Wednesday)
vs. Edmonton (Friday)
vs. Pittspurgh (Saturday)
@ St.Louis (Tuesday)
CBJ:
@ Carolina (Friday)
vs. Tampa (Saturday)
@ Washington (Tuesday)
CAR:
vs. Columbus (Friday)
@ Washington (Saturday)
vs. Calgary (Monday)
EDM:
@ Boston (Thursday)
@ Buffalo (Friday)
@ NYR (Sunday)
@ Nashville (Tuesday)
If things go south in the next week...
WSH:
@ Chicago (Friday)
vs. Carolina (Saturday)
vs. Columbus (Tuesday)
BUF:
vs. Montreal (Wednesday)
vs. Edmonton (Friday)
vs. Pittspurgh (Saturday)
@ St.Louis (Tuesday)
CBJ:
@ Carolina (Friday)
vs. Tampa (Saturday)
@ Washington (Tuesday)
CAR:
vs. Columbus (Friday)
@ Washington (Saturday)
vs. Calgary (Monday)
EDM:
@ Boston (Thursday)
@ Buffalo (Friday)
@ NYR (Sunday)
@ Nashville (Tuesday)
If things go south in the next week...
fedfed
@FedFedRMNB
In that Case I'd hope somebody bites on Kylington before us (odds are somebody will I think, he's great) to get one of Zacha/Strome.
BobRouse
Registered User
- Mar 18, 2009
- 10,144
- 373
Stay the course.
Our possession numbers are very strong and our PDO is pretty bad.
Its only a matter of time before the wins start piling up if they keep it up.
As per my other thread reply:
Our CF is ranked 5th at 53.8
Our FF is ranked 5th at 54.4
We are ranked 2nd in the league at fewest shots against at 24.6 (behind only Minnesota)
We are ranked 8th in Shots For at 29.9
We are ranked 28th in Sv pctg at 89.27
Our PDO is ranked 26th at 97.8
http://stats.hockeyanalysis.com/teamstats.php?disp=1&db=201415&sit=5v5&sort=SVPCT&sortdir=DESC
Our goaltending MUST get better. Shooting pctg is 11th at 8.48.
Our possession numbers are very strong and our PDO is pretty bad.
Its only a matter of time before the wins start piling up if they keep it up.
As per my other thread reply:
Our CF is ranked 5th at 53.8
Our FF is ranked 5th at 54.4
We are ranked 2nd in the league at fewest shots against at 24.6 (behind only Minnesota)
We are ranked 8th in Shots For at 29.9
We are ranked 28th in Sv pctg at 89.27
Our PDO is ranked 26th at 97.8
http://stats.hockeyanalysis.com/teamstats.php?disp=1&db=201415&sit=5v5&sort=SVPCT&sortdir=DESC
Our goaltending MUST get better. Shooting pctg is 11th at 8.48.
Last edited:
This thread is ridiculous. We are the only team in the Metro with a positive GD other than Pitt. They are statistically and visually better than the other team on the ice almost every night. Losing is getting old, but the Caps will turn this around. We'll make the play-offs.
fedfed
@FedFedRMNB
BobRouse
Registered User
- Mar 18, 2009
- 10,144
- 373
Totally agree.
It definitely passes the eye test too. We are dominating for long stretches of games.
Tighten up a few screws and allow the goaltending to normalize and we'll be good to go.
Langway
In den Wolken
- Jul 7, 2006
- 32,432
- 9,150
Barzal deserves more pub, too. He'll be a good one with time. Right now it looks like McDavid is on one level, Eichel another, Hanifan another then Kylington & Strome then Zacha & Barzal. Marner might be next along with Konecny. Werenski could rise. Plenty of charges could be made but that top seven is pretty formidable.
Just as Holtby had a rough transition under Oates, is it outlandish to think he may have an equally rough transition facing far fewer shots generally? He has to be sharper mentally and be ready for breakdowns when they do happen. Korn should help but he can't adjust for him.
As much as their baseline level of play has kept them competitive they do lack a killer instinct and I'm not sure how easy that's going to be to change. That's not exactly new and they don't have any secondary forward combinations with chemistry. Chimera/Ward aren't clicking and I don't expect their second line non-rookies to suddenly take off with either of the rookie centers. They'll likely play a lot of close games so the margin for error will be slim (as we've seen lately). It doesn't take much to slide when the execution level up front overall is so low.
Hivemind
We're Touched
BR and Langway encapsulate my thoughts for the most part. The team is better than their record, but they're not playing above the margin for error at this point. They need to minimize and mitigates the couple breakdowns they have per game, but every team will make mistakes. The save percentage needs to improve, and it likely will. When all is said and done, if this team wants to contend, it needs to outplay its opponents by a significant enough margin that the outside forces (bounces, reffing, goaltending variability) are minimalized. Nobody is going to win every night, but they need to control for those better.
They also need a shutdown pairing that can hold their own, at least in the GA department. Orpik/Carlson wasn't getting it done, and Orpik/Green didn't exactly calm my nerves last night. Orpik is exactly what we thought he was coming into the season.
They also need a shutdown pairing that can hold their own, at least in the GA department. Orpik/Carlson wasn't getting it done, and Orpik/Green didn't exactly calm my nerves last night. Orpik is exactly what we thought he was coming into the season.
discobob
Listen... do you smell something?
I don't doubt that they are really good players, however, in my mind, you only go all in for suckage if there is a can't miss superstar, or you are committed to years of suckage (ala Buffalo). On point one, we've been beaten to the punch by a few teams who we probably can't be worse than unless we get hit by a major injury bug, and the team is not ready for option #2.
BobRouse
Registered User
- Mar 18, 2009
- 10,144
- 373
As far as the shutdown pairing goes I don't think its too much of a problem personally. I mean we are holding shots way down (2nd in the league) and scoring chances along with them.
Yes we have some gaffes but those can be worked out. For the most part we have played pretty good D and cycled well in the Offensive zone.
Our shutdown pairing would look alot better if our goalies save pctg was closer to 92% than 86%. Goalie simply has to make some great saves now and then in addition to stopping the ones they should. Ours are doing neither ATM.
Our shot differentail is 4th in the league overall.
Over the last 5 games we lost our goalies have had a sv pctg of 84.56
Thats making everyone look bad.
Take for instance our win against Boston earlier this year. Each of Carlson and Alzner made a pass in our own zone DIRECTLY to a Bs player (Kelly and Soderberg). In that game Holtby made those saves. No one really remembers those gaffes or scrutinizes them as much.
Now every single turnover results in a goal. Turnovers are going to happen in games on both sides.
Hivemind
We're Touched
BR, you're right that the shot metrics reflect well upon the the team as a whole. They reflect a lot worse on Orpik/Carlson, however. Along with Brouwer, those two have the worst 5-on-5 Fenwick For% on the team (49.8-48.9%), and trail only Kuznetsov in FA60. Yes, a lot of that is usage and deployment, but it shows that the shutdown pair continues to be underwater (just as Alzner/Carlson has in recent years).
The Capitals defense has a lot of depth now, but it still needs some improvement in terms of shutting down the opponent's best forwards.
The Capitals defense has a lot of depth now, but it still needs some improvement in terms of shutting down the opponent's best forwards.
BobRouse
Registered User
- Mar 18, 2009
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Well Brouwers repeatedly been a poor possession player no matter what and Kuz is a rook so I can understand that. I still think Faceoffs have hurt Kuznetsov alot in terms of these numbers.
How much of an effect should deployment and quality of competition effect the FF%? I mean if they are out there against the best players of the other team and/or starting in our own zone all the time that can't have a good effect right?
Either way to me its not a huge issue. Is our top pairing middling among playoff hopefuls? For sure. But 1-7 (once Orlov gets back) our D is fine. The bottom 4 should be able (and have thus far) made a difference.
ChibiPooky
Yay hockey!
I'm not sure I necessarily buy that they need to be "above water" vs. the opposition's best. It'd be nice, but I don't think it's all that big of a deal. The Caps' top line is outdoing the opposing shutdown pair by more than the opposing top line is outdoing the Caps' shutdown pair, and that's the matchup I'm more concerned about.
I think that Ovechkin - Backstrom - Wilson line has the potential to be a power on power type of line, and that would help things as well. There aren't too many lines in the league that can stack up with their combination of skill and physicality.
Hivemind
We're Touched
Deployment and usage certainly impact your possession numbers, but there are plenty of shutdown pairings that can overcome that. Nobody on Boston or Chicago's defense has FF% under 50. Muzzin/Doughty, Suter/Brodin, OEL/Michalek, and Giordano/Brodie are leading the charge in terms of FF% on their teams. Bouwmeester/Pietrangelo get absolutely brutal assignments (~40% DZFO), and come away with positive FF%.
Can the Caps make the playoffs with a struggling shutdown pairing? Sure. I don't think it's a recipe for playoff success, however. It's something that's going to need to be addressed sooner or later.
Can the Caps make the playoffs with a struggling shutdown pairing? Sure. I don't think it's a recipe for playoff success, however. It's something that's going to need to be addressed sooner or later.
Corby78
65 - 10 - 20
Yeah, this team just need to shake the "loser rep", were dominating most games, have good numbers. Just honestly need Peters/Holtby to make that key save or two and the points will start adding up.
BobRouse
Registered User
- Mar 18, 2009
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This is where I'm leaning for ATM. If we start getting schooled while losing then all kinds of alarms will go off. But thats not the case at all here.
I'd love to have a Langway/Stevens pairing. Those pairing you mention sure do have some top end guys but they don't grow on trees and the Pronger boat has long sailed.
But as it stands we have 3 very solid pairings. While the other teams top line can take a bit more advantage of our 1st pair I'd say our 3rd pair can take advantage of alot of their guys.
Also we are better prepared for an injury in this setup. This set up is highly unusual by NHL standards so I'll be eager to see if its a recipe for playoff success. I don't think the book is written on that yet.
Mickstix
Registered User
Im not ready to buy a ticket on "team tank" just yet, but Im seriously considering putting down a deposit! 
Selling who though? Green Laich Brouwer MoJo Ward and Chimera? I don't think they'd actually bring back enough for it to be worth tanking. Do you see any of them getting a 1st in return except Green? Or even a mid-early second?
Tanking isn't an environment I'd like Bura and Kuz to come into for their first season. This team has enough issues.
