Post-Game Talk: the Champs at the Blooj | 2/12/19

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Capitals40

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Well, you know better. Right?
Everybody's entitled to their opinion. But, when someone doesn't watch the game and just goes by post game coach speak and basically tells posters they are wrong that doesn't sit well with people..personally I would never comment on a game I didn't actually watch.
 

BiPolar Caps

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The Caps are the worst faceoff team in the NHL. I find it interesting that while many are crying about losing the the back end of a back to back on the road with travel that they are not bugged by the face offs. Beagle was money at pk face offs and critical late game defensive zone draws. His playoff numbers of defensive zone draws was nearly 65%. Without that they lose.

Dowd just does not get that job done.
Watching the Sunday game between the Blues and the Predators, Pierre and the gang were remarking how Berube would have O'Reilly go out for face offs just after he got off the ice from a shift and that once O'Reilly won the face off he would immediately return to the bench. Recall the Caps (Boudreau) doing the same with David Steckel. They'd put him out for critical face offs and take him off the ice immediately after he had won the face off. Actually I was at some games where I would watch Steckel come out for the face off and then skate the hardest and fastest he had done all game back to the bench so that his replacement get out there for him.
 

txpd

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Everybody's entitled to their opinion. But, when someone doesn't watch the game and just goes by post game coach speak and basically tells posters they are wrong that doesn't sit well with people..personally I would never comment on a game I didn't actually watch.

Yup. We have our opinions.
 

txpd

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Watching the Sunday game between the Blues and the Predators, Pierre and the gang were remarking how Berube would have O'Reilly go out for face offs just after he got off the ice from a shift and that once O'Reilly won the face off he would immediately return to the bench. Recall the Caps (Boudreau) doing the same with David Steckel. They'd put him out for critical face offs and take him off the ice immediately after he had won the face off. Actually I was at some games where I would watch Steckel come out for the face off and then skate the hardest and fastest he had done all game back to the bench so that his replacement get out there for him.

Trotz did that with Beagle and Backstrom. He would put them both out for some defensive zone face offs. If in the right dot, Beagle took it. If in the left dot, Backstrom took it. This also effects the fo% of the left shooting centers in right dot defensive zone draws. Its harder to win those safely. You have to go forehand to take the puck away from your net. Often Backstrom doesn't even try to win those now. He just tries to keep from losing clean. He ties up the other stick and tries to much the puck with his feet. The move Dale Hunter taught him.
 
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RandyHolt

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The fire I’d like to see would be towards the refs in the many times we’ve come out on the short end of a questionable play, or when one of ours gets kabonged.

Where that’s fire? Players pick up on that and it can be a rallying point.

giphy.gif
 

Calicaps

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I agree. I think way too many of us here were fine with Beagle being the one they didn't have room for under the cap. Too many thought/think he is easily replaced.
I hated letting Beagle go, but it was the right move. He wanted and deserved a combo of money and term the Caps simply did not have to give. You can't lose Carlson or Wilson to give Beags 4 x whatever he got. Did you listen to the 31 thoughts with him? He talks about it and clearly wanted to stay, but he and McLellan understood that this was his chance to get a big payday for himself and his family. It was tough calculus and now it's up to BMac to fill the hole.
 
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CapitalsCupReality

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The Caps are the worst faceoff team in the NHL. I find it interesting that while many are crying about losing the the back end of a back to back on the road with travel that they are not bugged by the face offs. Beagle was money at pk face offs and critical late game defensive zone draws. His playoff numbers of defensive zone draws was nearly 65%. Without that they lose.

Dowd just does not get that job done.

For an old school hockey fan, you’ve REEEEEEAALLY bought hard into the back to back are a disadvantage of epic proportions idea.

Boo hoo I say. World class athletes.

And he’s not wrong about coming in here all opinionated and sermonizing, while having not watched the game. No reception up there at the pulpit? ;)
 

Calicaps

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For an old school hockey fan, you’ve REEEEEEAALLY bought hard into the back to back are a disadvantage of epic proportions idea.

Boo hoo I say. World class athletes.

And he’s not wrong about coming in here all opinionated and sermonizing, while having not watched the game. No reception up there at the pulpit? ;)
Obviously the b2b shouldn't generally be that hard on them. But FWIW I do think this one was particularly shitty with the travel and time zone change and all, but the biggest issue was the early penalties. I think Reirden is right on that. They wore themselves out chasing the game.
 
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txpd

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But FWIW I do think this one was particularly ****ty with the travel and time zone change and all, but the biggest issue was the early penalties. I think Reirden is right on that. They wore themselves out chasing the game.

My point exactly. Is that such a radical up in the pulpit opinion?
 

Midnight Judges

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I don’t usually love their stuff but this is a good article by RMNB:

Five changes that will turn Caps into Cup contenders again

A few shrewd moves down the stretch and system tweaks made them champions last year. Can they do the same this year? Only time shall tell.

I think RMNB is assuming the Kempny add caused the improvements when really that's not necessarily the case. The Caps also made some key scheme changes last season when they got out of the slump. That's when the transition game started evolving. Kempny is a solid 5D but let's not pretend he's a game changer.

Dude suggests adding Marcus Johansson to a line but then also says Kuzya needs help defensively. This boggles my mind because Mojo friggin sucks at defense. Tom Wilson is quite good at defense. Seems to me the Cup winning line of Ovechkin-Kuz-Wilson is the obvious answer.

He also credits DSP with a great playoff run and then trashes Stephenson but it seems to me Stephenson was pretty decent in the playoffs. Stephenson is also decent defensively and has good wheels.
 

Bladerunner

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Still puzzled why TR wouldn't put some fresh legs out. It's a b2b against a grinding team, why not switch out Dowd and DSP (who actually played OK) for Boyd and Jaskin. Don't know if it could make up for how dead Ovi and Nick looked, but maybe Boyd's legs or Jaskin's grind gets you one more PP.
So am I.

The scary part... so is Reirden :confused:
 

kicksavedave

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Because it's not the 4th liners that are the issue. It's the top 6 who are sleepwalking through the season. Fresh legs at 12 minutes a night gets us zilch and you're not gonna slot Boyd in for Ovie so...

It is pretty amazing though, how people on the internet have all the answers, even though they are not in the room, do not see a practice, let alone run one.

Do people really think Jaskin over DSP last night was going to prevent the Caps from being shut out?
 
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Bladerunner

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Seems the OP was speculating that having a few young players w/fresh legs might have been a bit better.

Not that it would've reversed the games outcome or that the top 6 isn't a bigger concern. At one point into the 3rd pd wasn't it 30-10 SOG? You'd think the score effect would have made it less lopsided.

Maybe they lose 3-1 or 2-1 so a few Caps pick up some scoring pts and our goal diff is a 1-2 better. Little pluses. At the high end - especially the way Holtby played - maybe the it's not 4:1 in PPs and Caps squeeze an OTL out of it?
 

Calicaps

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Seems the OP was speculating that having a few young players w/fresh legs might have been a bit better.

Not that it would've reversed the games outcome or that the top 6 isn't a bigger concern. At one point into the 3rd pd wasn't it 30-10 SOG? You'd think the score effect would have made it less lopsided.

Maybe they lose 3-1 or 2-1 so a few Caps pick up some scoring pts and our goal diff is a 1-2 better. Little pluses. At the high end - especially the way Holtby played - maybe the it's not 4:1 in PPs and Caps squeeze an OTL out of it?
Maybe. But I tend to think that by mid-February, you play the roster you envision playing in April so you can evaluate that. Especially since they've only had their full roster for 2 games.
 

kicksavedave

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Seems the OP was speculating that having a few young players w/fresh legs might have been a bit better.

Not that it would've reversed the games outcome or that the top 6 isn't a bigger concern. At one point into the 3rd pd wasn't it 30-10 SOG? You'd think the score effect would have made it less lopsided.

Maybe they lose 3-1 or 2-1 so a few Caps pick up some scoring pts and our goal diff is a 1-2 better. Little pluses. At the high end - especially the way Holtby played - maybe the it's not 4:1 in PPs and Caps squeeze an OTL out of it?


Well when your stars aren't working, you can't really expect regular scratches to come in and save the day. "a bit better" doesn't really address the issue, which is the Caps don't show up to play every game.

Frankly they didn't show up to play every game last year in the playoffs either, but they showed up enough to win the Cup. I feel like this team has learned how to NOT get burned out this early, or at least I hope thats all this is. I feel strongly with both Kuzy and Ovi that they are saving their energy and their bodies for the real season. And again, .500 from here on out should get them into the playoffs, but they are 4-2-1 in their last 7, so that works. If they do THAT down the stretch they have a shot at the Metro, for whatever that is worth.
 

Empty Goal Net

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Obviously the b2b shouldn't generally be that hard on them. But FWIW I do think this one was particularly ****ty with the travel and time zone change and all, but the biggest issue was the early penalties. I think Reirden is right on that. They wore themselves out chasing the game.

Alex Bro also mentioned time zone change way earlier in the thread and it puzzled me then. DC and 'bus are both in the Eastern time zone. Am I missing something?
 
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