GDT: TOR @ WSH - 7:30 PM

[Neil Racki]

Just back from game. Brutal. Most crowded i have seen the building this year though.

Lots of things to pick at, but the biggest thing is our defense is slow and loses puck battles. Orlov was worst i have seen him. Fever is gassed for sure losing puck battles like he did to start the Rangers game. Kempny is also really bad right now. Turns everything into a puck battle even when it shouldn’t be. Just no flow.

first 2 months of the season, our D was spring boarding our offensive push with clean crisp quick outlet passes and jumping up in the rush. Now the puck gets dumped down into a corner and our guy gets it an just slaps it along the boards or loses the board battle.

Jensen was flying, Orlov was flying, the puck was quickly being played out of our zone and passes were tape to tape.

I had hopes when guys return our PP would come back to life and wed at least be exciting hockey to watch as we earn our annual first round exit ...

No hope left. The bad hockey isnt a rut, its not just a month or 2 funk .. its who we are. We just get bogged down in our own zone on D, guys are skating past us in the neutral zone, poor marking down low.

 

[g00n]

It's almost as though stacking your blueline with softish puck-movers makes you vulnerable to heavy forechecking or something.

 

[itsjustsurvival]

Not sure I agree that it has much to do with the blueline not being tough. Although, I wouldn't complain if they were able to bring in someone physical that can also make a breakout pass. I really do not think a bruiser who treats the puck like a hand grenade will really fix much though.

A severe lack of speed and playmaking ability throughout the entire lineup really hurts their ability to transition. Not only would adding forwards who can skate and pass aid the transition game, but a team with multiple big wingers who can shoot well would really benefit from addressing this.

In most seasons, there are players on the Capitals that I really don't like because of salary or performance. But the last couple years, it's not that I hate any of the players, it's more that the overall composition needs to be tweaked.

And a competent goalie would be nice.

 

[g00n]

Not sure I agree that it has much to do with the blueline not being tough. Although, I wouldn't complain if they were able to bring in someone physical that can also make a breakout pass. I really do not think a bruiser who treats the puck like a hand grenade will really fix much though.

A severe lack of speed and playmaking ability throughout the entire lineup really hurts their ability to transition. Not only would adding forwards who can skate and pass aid the transition game, but a team with multiple big wingers who can shoot well would really benefit from addressing this.

In most seasons, there are players on the Capitals that I really don't like because of salary or performance. But the last couple years, it's not that I hate any of the players, it's more that the overall composition needs to be tweaked.

And a competent goalie would be nice.

They won a Cup with generally PM/SAH defensive pairings. The stay at home guy doesn't have to be magical with the puck, just enough of a body and a presence back there to keep the forecheck honest and get the puck to the PMD.

 

[Holtbyisms]

Mike Green was a much better skater and puck distributor, unless it's 2015 Mike Green we're talking about.

That's exactly who I'm talking about lol

 

[StrikingDistance]

This team has me so disinterested in hockey right now. I just check NHL.com every 30 minutes, see we are losing and go back to watching the news. Ukraine/Russia coverage is much more interesting.

Same. My gf's parents and brother are in the southern Kharkiv area. Heartbreaking, but still watching.

As for the Caps, they played better this game in general, but Fever losing his man multiple times, led to goals. Eller, JC, Kuzy, etc were liabilities the Caps could not overcome.

VV > Swimmin Sammy: At a min, watching both in the same game, finally convinced me VV is currently the best goalie on our roster....whcih isn't saying much.

Go team.

 

[DrewGl]

Same. My gf's parents and brother are in the southern Kharkiv area. Heartbreaking, but still watching.

As for the Caps, they played better this game in general, but Fever losing his man multiple times, led to goals. Eller, JC, Kuzy, etc were liabilities the Caps could not overcome.

VV > Swimmin Sammy: At a min, watching both in the same game, finally convinced me VV is currently the best goalie on our roster....whcih isn't saying much.

Go team.

Hope your family stays safe over there.

 

[AlexBrovechkin8]

I don't think he gets there. Gordie is the goal now.

You post on every page in every Ovechkin thread on the main boards so we know what your position is

He has a 3.9 shooting percentage in 2022. Lowest on-ice shooting percentage of any player on the Caps since the calendar flipped. He’s not as dominant as he was the first few months of the season but he’s had brutal luck the last two months.

 

[PlushMinus]

I don't think he gets there. Gordie is the goal now.

Take a hike, buddy. Everybody knows you're an Ovie troll and nobody here is interested in your opinion.

 

[HurricaneFanatic]

Take a hike, buddy. Everybody knows you're an Ovie troll and nobody here is interested in your opinion.

You guys have no sense of humor. Crap talk in sports is dead because fans are so thin skinned now lol.

 

[PlushMinus]

You guys have no sense of humor. Crap talk in sports is dead because fans are so thin skinned now lol.

lol okay well I hope you were enjoying the trash talk when your boy Svechnikov decided to pick a fight with Ovie and got knocked unconscious by him that time

 

[HTFN]

You guys have no sense of humor. Crap talk in sports is dead because fans are so thin skinned now lol.

did you just get upset over a little crap talk and then call everyone else thin skinned?

 

[HurricaneFanatic]

lol okay well I hope you were enjoying the trash talk when your boy Svechnikov decided to pick a fight with Ovie and got knocked unconscious by him that time

That was pretty funny. After we found out he was OK that is lol.

 

[HurricaneFanatic]

did you just get upset over a little crap talk and then call everyone else thin skinned?

Not sure how what I said is being upset? But if you say so