Post-Game Talk: There is a game tonight. 10EST at Yotes..........

[troyerlaw]

oh, shock. win they great. lose they are doomed. choosing off the doom menu after this one I see.

next please

To be fair, it's not just this one.

Of their last 17 games, they have won 10.

Which is, fine and okay, but not evidence of a team which is peaking or dominating or in a groove. (And possession #s certainly back that up.)

The good news is, Holtby looks very good again. And thru total domination earlier in the year, we have earned the right to play the weakest of the 8, in the first round.

Today's game between flyers-pens should be fun one, by the way. Both teams playing well, and flyers fighting for their playoff lives.

 

[AlexBrovechkin8]

Saw the score this morning and knew the chicken littles would be in full bloom. Was not disappointed.

 

[Turd Ferguson]

Didn't watch, played like poo I assume. We're done for in the first round, disappointment and heart break is in the air.

 

[Devil Dancer]

Didn't watch, played like poo I assume.

Not really, they played very well overall until the Yotes scored two flukey goals back to back. Smith had a great game.

No biggie, and no injuries.

 

[PB12]

If you are mad about this game then i don't know what to tell you. Lets not forget Grubby hasn't been good as of late.

 

[hockeykicker]

Didn't watch, played like poo I assume. We're done for in the first round, disappointment and heart break is in the air.

They actually played really well the first 2 periods

 

[Bladerunner]

In his last 8 games, Kuz has 2 pts and is -8

That has to be a bit of a concern. He was NHL leader in +/- for some time and near 2nd in assists behind EK (still 4th).

I hope this is just a temporary slump due to having long clinched the East and the recent PT.

 

[marcel snapshot]

Grubby was really good thru 2 periods and first two goals weren't on him. Went to bed after 0-2. Overpassing may be function of no puck luck/numerous goalposts. Would like to see them have a game where they pot a few next week, so they're not going in to round 1 gripping their sticks too tight. Would be great if the Isles put that Berube in net Tuesday, cuz he looked way shaky yesterday

 

[Capsman]

I saw the first two period then went to sleep. Honestly I thought they played decently the first two periods. They were skating well, the luck was moving briskly and with purpose. The Avs game and this one were the first I've seen this in a long long time. I was quite surprise to wake up to a 3-0 loss.

They are not shooting enough, though. Waiting for the perfect shot rather than getting it on net and positioning for rebounds. I continue to be impressed by Bura's improvement, he's been eating his Wheaties. Kuz's puck handling seems to have regressed a bit of late, getting his pocket picked quite a bit.

 

[Capitals40]

I saw the first two period then went to sleep. Honestly I thought they played decently the first two periods. They were skating well, the luck was moving briskly and with purpose. The Avs game and this one were the first I've seen this in a long long time. I was quite surprise to wake up to a 3-0 loss.

They are not shooting enough, though. Waiting for the perfect shot rather than getting it on net and positioning for rebounds. I continue to be impressed by Bura's improvement, he's been eating his Wheaties. Kuz's puck handling seems to have regressed a bit of late, getting his pocket picked quite a bit.

Kuzy is looking for that perfect breathtaking pass about every time he gets the puck nowadays...taking his nickname Harry Potter too seriously...his game has slowed down too much...he is starting to remind me of Backstrom offensively.

 

[Alexander the Gr8]

Kuzy just needs to stop messing around with the puck and shooting more when he has a great opportunity. He was a bit lazy yesterday, not moving his feet as much as he usually does.

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

Well poop. That sucked.

 

[Calicaps]

Well poop. That sucked.

Yeah. I thought they played well and were basically undone in 30 seconds.

I feel like all the post-hitting is a good sign tho. It tells me they are beating goalies. Just gotta fix the aim. Hopefully that gets sorted out here shortly.

 

[Alexander the Gr8]

Yeah. I thought they played well and were basically undone in 30 seconds.

I feel like all the post-hitting is a good sign tho. It tells me they are beating goalies. Just gotta fix the aim. Hopefully that gets sorted out here shortly.

Our low sh% during the past month is unsustainable. We've had terrible luck, hopefully we have good luck when the playoffs start.

 

[txpd]

To be fair, it's not just this one.

Of their last 17 games, they have won 10.

Which is, fine and okay, but not evidence of a team which is peaking or dominating or in a groove. (And possession #s certainly back that up.).

I get you that its uncomfortable to watch a team in the Caps position with a ridiculous lead for more than half the season. There is no reason for the Caps to peak or dominate in these games. Its unrealistic.

You would rather be the Flyers? The Caps have been the Flyers and they took their hot streak into the playoffs and a first round out. Yea, I would to like see them rolling up the league like they did in December and January, but its not realistic. Further if Backstrom has been dinged in any sort of significant way. If he has been concussed, do you really think the very next game this bunch is going to go all in to beat a team over nothing? I just cant get upset over these games.

 

[Alexander the Gr8]

I get you that its uncomfortable to watch a team in the Caps position with a ridiculous lead for more than half the season. There is no reason for the Caps to peak or dominate in these games. Its unrealistic.

You would rather be the Flyers? The Caps have been the Flyers and they took their hot streak into the playoffs and a first round out. Yea, I would to see them rolling up the league like they did in December and January, but its not realistic. Further if Backstrom has been dinged in any sort of significant way. If he has been concussed, do you really think the very next game this bunch is going to go all in to beat a team over nothing? I just cant get upset over these games.

There is the truth. Momentum doesn't necessarily carry over from the regular season to the playoffs, in fact it rarely does. This is good news for us, and bad news for the Flyers and Pens.

Ottawa won 21 of their last 27 last year to make the playoffs. They crashed in the 1st round and almost got swept by the Habs.

 

[AlexBrovechkin8]

I get you that its uncomfortable to watch a team in the Caps position with a ridiculous lead for more than half the season. There is no reason for the Caps to peak or dominate in these games. Its unrealistic.

You would rather be the Flyers? The Caps have been the Flyers and they took their hot streak into the playoffs and a first round out.

Lock-out season with Oates. Ovie single handedly carried the Caps to the playoffs that year. Including the back-to-back in March with the Jets that turned their season around, the Caps lost 4 times -- all by 1 goal and twice in OT -- in 19 games to end the season. Lost in 7 to NYR in R1. Sadness.

 

[txpd]

Are you inclined to look at the glass half empty or half full? there is a trap in blowing out the league and coasting to the playoggs. there is a trap in having to whip your horses to make the playoffs with a big late season run.

The team with the big lead can lose their momentum and spark. The team with the late charge can feel like they have succeeded just by making the playoffs. the team coasting in can be rested and the team with the momentum worn out.

It can cut both ways. The question with the Caps is which way will it cut?

 

[Corby78]

It can't be good. The switch is not real. You can't switch to 100% from some low number. You need to be good at practice to perform at maximum in a meaningful game. We're dropping "practices" easily. And there is not much time to change it.

The concern over poor showings is very real and reasonable.

I have to disagree to an extent. There is another level when something is on the line. There is an extra drive to dig deeper when you really want something. There has honestly been nothing to play for months and yet we still haven't two regulation games in a row and still play over .500 hockey. Now while I think it's dangerous to rely on coasting and say we'll give 100% in the playoffs, I don't doubt at all we will see better motivated players. I don't doubt for a minute many of those guys would forfeit the remaining games if they could start game one tomorrow

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

Saw the score this morning and knew the chicken littles would be in full bloom. Was not disappointed.

I'm afraid to look back..that bad I'm sure.

 

[Dr John Carlson]

By the way, those cool looking playoff prediction diagrams have us losing to Philly in the first round again after the game against Arizona. Oops.

 

[txpd]

By the way, those cool looking playoff prediction diagrams have us losing to Philly in the first round again after the game against Arizona. Oops.

factor in the great game the flyers played last night yet?