GDT: The Trotz was forced outters @ The Trotz is a quitters, 3:07pm

[Brian23]

I know he big meme is that "we should have kept Trotz", but it really seems everyone forgets how bad we had been that year prior to Kempny's pickup or the persistent rumor that Reirden was given more of the keys during that playoff run. Beyond that, Ted being cheap is the reason Trotz is gone.

But realistically, Reirden not being the guy doesn't mean we should have kept Trotz. We got lightning in the bottle, that isn't replicable.

 

[AtNightWeFly]

Happy that I missed this game.

 

[marcel snapshot]

Isles showed more intensity, better pace, tighter structure, stronger D play, and their goalie outplayed ours. PP was good enough, but that hairball puked up by the combined gaacks of Holtby and Ovie was egregiously putrid. Our best two-way center got hurt early, our 2nd best two-way center couldn’t play. Two of our highly skilled scoring wingers (13 and 17) have been invisible since entering the bubble. The sum of all of this is a formula for defeat.

if there’s one team Todd should be able to scheme for, it’s the Isles because Trotz hockey ain’t that intricate, and Todd should know all its key elements anyway. So step up here TR, or be prepared to step aside

Anyway, winning Game 1 more often than not seems to yield a Caps series loss - but that’s probably true for losing Game 1 given our overall history - but at least we’ll have no business being complacent after this.

 

[EroCaps]

Freaking out after 1 game is a Caps staple. Either good or bad.

Slamming critics and then ghosting these boards after playoff chokes is another staple.

 

[crab]

Isles showed more intensity, better pace, tighter structure, stronger D play, and their goalie outplayed ours. PP was good enough, but that hairball puked up by the combined gaacks of Holtby and Ovie was egregiously putrid. Our best two-way center got hurt early, our 2nd best two-way center couldn’t play. Two of our highly skilled scoring wingers (13 and 17) have been invisible since entering the bubble. The sum of all of this is a formula for defeat.

if there’s one team Todd should be able to scheme for, it’s the Isles because Trotz hockey ain’t that intricate, and Todd should know all its key elements anyway. So step up here TR, or be prepared to step aside

Anyway, winning Game 1 more often than not seems to yield a Caps series loss - but that’s probably true for losing Game 1 given our overall history - but at least we’ll have no business being complacent after this.

You know you’re a fan of a great playoff team when there is as good of a chance of them losing after going up 2-0 in a series. May as well start 0-2 like the Cup year.

 

[artilector]

This was a very Capitals game. Show dominance, get a lead, get bored, give away some softies, lose the game.

I say throw in McMichael if at all possible. He's not going to hurt the Caps chances more than our veteran sleepwalkers. Without Backstrom, they'll need a miracle anyway to win the Cup. Maybe McMichael can give a spark. He'll get some great experience anyway.

Reirden doesn't matter right now, IMO. It comes down to how many minutes the Caps want to play focused -- 20? 40? 55? When they are going hard, the Isles are not a difficult opponent regardless of what you think of Reirden.

 

[tenken00]

You know you’re a fan of a great playoff team when there is as good of a chance of them losing after going up 2-0 in a series. May as well start 0-2 like the Cup year.

If there is one lesson you learn as a Caps fan, its that we need adversity.

 

[maacoshark]

Why can't they use Ottawa's arena? Its in the same region.
Also Calgary's?

I think they want to keep the bubble a bit smaller than that. Ottawa is about 450 kms from Toronto.

 

[tenken00]

Just put in Fever at this point.

 

[Devil Dancer]

That felt like a game early in the CBJ series. Work hard, get a lead, collapse.

Doesn't help that Ovie is playing awful hockey right now.

 

[StrikingDistance]

Whatever.

Holtby let in a stinker and the team seemed to cave in after it.

Whatever.

 

[McVechkin]

Reirden sucks. Huge mistake letting Trotz go. Black mark for GMBM.

Not sure it’s on gmgm. I’m sure there is a lot of reasons.. but I’d bet money is a big thing too that the organization wasn’t willing to pay. But that’s an argument for another time.

 

[TheLegendOfPatPeake]

No matter how this playoffs turns out...man there are a lot of good free agent coaches available.

 

[maacoshark]

With the way Backstrom played lately he's not much of loss unfortunately. Even more unfortunately is that they don't have anybody serviceable to replace even that version of him.

Backstrom might not being doing much offensively but he does things defensively that any replacement can't do.

 

[AtNightWeFly]

I think they want to keep the bubble a bit smaller than that. Ottawa is about 450 kms from Toronto.

Someone mentioned Marlies arena. Is that closer?
Its ridiculous to have so many teams playing on the same ice each day. Especially in those round robin games. A playoff game at 11 a.m on Wednesday?

Still better than nothing, I guess.

 

[maacoshark]

Holtby is garbage he shouldn’t start anymore in the playoffs

Lol that's funny. We have no one else to use.

 

[maacoshark]

Elite-level backchecking.

It's crazy to me how on a team with so many molasses skaters, lightning-quick Vrana still strikes me as a guy who isn't all there.

Vrana isn't all there

 

[maacoshark]

I missed this game which sucked. What sucked even more was that I just read every post in this thread. Wow, alot of whining and crying today.
It's one game. Yeah we lost, it sucks but I am not surprised.
This team has been pretty average all season.

 

[Firsov99]

Normally I agree but this is not one game. It is almost two seasons of the same problems over and over again. Why do we think this team will all of a sudden flip a switch and play like they did in 2018?

The flip of a switch (aka “they are saving themselves for the playoffs”) is probably the most annoying myth. I am puzzled why some fans still believe in this crap. Even if we somehow manage to beat the Isles, we won’t go past round two. Two wasted years for the team with plenty of talent. Such a shame considering that our stars are getting old.

 

[Melkor]

Backstrom might not being doing much offensively but he does things defensively that any replacement can't do.

I'm willing to argue there's enough players in the league who can do the same job Backstrom does defensively with the same or better effectiveness. But yeah, none of those on the Caps

 

[marcel snapshot]

Whatever.

Holtby let in a stinker and the team seemed to cave in after it.

Whatever.

Felt like the team was already collapsing before that goal and that Holtby had been under sustained pressure 5x5 for awhile, which is not to diminish how bad that goal was. But that whiff looked like the action of a dude that was stressed

 

[TheLegendOfPatPeake]

Also, someone put a search party together. WTF was Vrana and Kovalchuk? Woof.

 

[maacoshark]

I'm willing to argue there's enough players in the league who can do the same job Backstrom does defensively with the same or better effectiveness. But yeah, none of those on the Caps

That's my point. Alot of our forwards are a liability defensively.

 

[caps4cup]

In his 3 games, Boyd has an xG% of 27.6%. He brings nothing to the table. Play Malenstyn, CMM, or Pinho instead if Backstrom can’t go.

 

[895]

Save us McJesus