Post-Game Talk: Verizon Capitals vs. BB&T Panthers. 7:30pm. 10.20.2016 (The Stadium Edition)

[txpd]

In regards to the lack of guys on this board, while I agree some of it has to do with the lack of interest with the regular season (lets be honest, this is a 82 game pre-season for a lot of us). But I do think there are some things this board could do to help stimulate the conversation..

it goes deeper than that its a long season. Its always been a long season.

 

[BrooklynCapsFan]

it's early in the season and I think a lot of us are worn out from the wash, rinse, repeat cycle. I bet there are some checking in and lurking but not posting as much until the TDL comes closer and into the playoffs.

It's sooo early but the Caps are looking decent.

It doesn't help that the highlight of the year took place in the third game of the season. I'm paying more attention to other teams than I am Washington this year.

 

[txpd]

It doesn't help that the highlight of the year took place in the third game of the season. I'm paying more attention to other teams than I am Washington this year.

What do you mean? The highlight of last season was Ov's goal on opening night. IIRC that was a top 2 goal in the league last season.

 

[g00n]

Unfortunately I can't sign into HFBoards at work, so most games I won't be on. Glad to see the caps fight through a horrible period and get a road win vs a good playoff capable team.

In regards to the lack of guys on this board, while I agree some of it has to do with the lack of interest with the regular season (lets be honest, this is a 82 game pre-season for a lot of us). But I do think there are some things this board could do to help stimulate the conversation.

I don't know why we have the limit on threads. We have a game thread, roster thread and NHL thread. Most active boards let members start a lot more than that. With all the conversations getting jumbled into a couple huge threads its hard to keep it going. Why not have a thread talking about Orlov, one on MoJo, one on the PP ect.. Its easier to follow and helps stimulate a lot more conversation then just two massive threads. Just a thought.

The site isn't stifling conversation by confining discussion. Our other OT threads are also less active because people aren't stopping by or posting as much. Mods have actually been pretty hands-off for a while now.

People are sitting on their hands as they always do the year after there are high expectations and another let down. GDTs at this time last year had post totals in the 200s to 300s. That didn't increase much unless there was a testy opponent or playoff matchup. It's been that way for years now (looking at the GDTs back to 2013) and I expect it to be similar this season.

Interest probably won't intensify until there's a storyline beyond "Caps on cruise control until another likely playoff choke".

• What stars are currently on fire?
• What new, hot prospects are tearing things up and generating conversation?
• What scandals and roster battles are taking place?
• How much Orpik vs Orlov talk can we really sustain?

The fact is Caps management have broadcasted their 2 year plan and have stuck to it SO predictably that there's not much room for any kind of speculation. 14th forward? That's our biggest point of contention? There's nothing there, and there won't be until something unexpected happens.

Regarding the thread topics, we do have player threads but people either don't use them or they all eventually become the same, overlapping commentary anyway. You can't have an Orlov thread without it becoming an OrPIK thread. The Mojo thread becomes a Wilson thread. Etc. Then people lose track of who they were talking to, points get repeated, misunderstandings occur, flame wars start, etc. Have you read the main/trade/prospect board player threads?

The megathreads have been a source if contention for many years, but I'm a lot less active than I used to be for other reasons. There's a persistent negative tone to the conversation here that really wears on me after a while. Unfortunately that starts with leadership.

This forum has also fallen into a weird groupthink attitude that is unwelcoming to outsiders and new opinions.

Too bad HF is the only highly active NHL forum around.

I still really like the GDTs, but I don't know how you guys keep fighting the same fights over and over in the megathreads without going nuts.

We try not to go full megathread unless we have to. Mods have not been merging any threads because people have not been starting them, and it's been this way for a long time. This is a small fanbase that likes things a certain way and relies on a few people to drive most of the conversation. If we want more action we have to generate it ourselves or bring in more people who will contribute positively without fear of being attacked. We have codified this in our local rules and work toward it daily. We can only do so much as "leadership".

Ideally it's a balance between some degree of orderly discussion and freedom to stimulate conversation. It's not a site management problem at the moment, it's what the users (including me) are doing with the topic. There's not a lot to work with. For various reasons I'm not as into the nuts and bolts as I usually am but I still try to stimulate conversation by posting hypotheticals. That's only good for so much, and it often results in me being told I'm "reaching" or "reading too much into it", but it's something to talk about, right?


Ultimately this is a free site with volunteer "leadership" and user generated content. If we want a more entertaining board then we have to make it more entertaining ourselves (without getting banned pls thx).

 

[g00n]

I'll go one further and look around our division:

http://hfboards.mandatory.com/forumdisplay.php?f=186

Note we're last in total number of threads and behind the Canes and Jackets in terms of total posts. We're a smaller market compared to the NY and PA teams. But even those teams are not getting a lot of action this time of year:


Islanders board - 17 members currently active and 5 threads posted in today
Devils board - 16 members, 4 threads
Flyers board - 34 members, 5 threads
Penguins board - 27 members, 6 threads
Rangers board - 55 members, 7 threads
Canes board - 8 members, 4 threads
Jackets board - 9 members, 2 threads

Capitals board - 15 members, 4 threads

So in terms of active threads we're pretty average. We're also middle of the pack in terms of member activity at the moment. This is about what I'd expect.

 

[Devil Dancer]

I've noticed that you guys stopped merging everything a while back, and I'm thankful for that change. Of course, we're all conditioned to use the megathreads now anyway.

 

[txpd]

wouldn't our number of active threads be limited by the fact that we limit the number of threads. Everything fits into 3 or 4. GDT, Roster, Around the league, News and Notes.

 

[g00n]

wouldn't our number of active threads be limited by the fact that we limit the number of threads. Everything fits into 3 or 4. GDT, Roster, Around the league, News and Notes.

We've been near the bottom for a long time because of our size/market. We are not thousands of threads behind the bigger boards because of mergings of any kind, nevermind legit topics that stimulate conversation or increase membership. All of the currently active threads on the Pens board are megathreads, fwiw. Flyers, too. In fact, most of the team boards are like that.

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

I've noticed that you guys stopped merging everything a while back, and I'm thankful for that change. Of course, we're all conditioned to use the megathreads now anyway.

I think that's part of it. People gave up starting threads because they would get merged. IMO, things are running smoothly, but a lot of the newer fans I think are getting burnt by the team too often to care early, or for some, at all.

Our regular running threads are effective, just annoying to wade through at times.

 

[twabby]

Also the Capitals have started 3-0-1 and have looked pretty good while doing so (minus the second period yesterday). There's more discussion to be had when the team is struggling. Right now it seems like the prevailing thought is "keep doing the same thing".

 

[g00n]

Also the Capitals have started 3-0-1 and have looked pretty good while doing so (minus the second period yesterday). There's more discussion to be had when the team is struggling. Right now it seems like the prevailing thought is "keep doing the same thing".

Exactly. Bad news brings out the complaints.

And look at the topics that dominated most of our conversations over the last few years: Green, Semin, Mojo contract, who's the #1 goalie, why don't we get top defensemen, #1RW, #2C, McPhee's status, who's the coach going to be, etc.

Pretty much all of that has been resolved. 14th forward, Orpik/Orlov, and Wilson maybe in the top 9 are not nearly as stimulating or capable of generating interest.

I think that's part of it. People gave up starting threads because they would get merged. IMO, things are running smoothly, but a lot of the newer fans I think are getting burnt by the team too often to care early, or for some, at all.

Well if that were a big issue then again we'd see much less of a gap between us and the other boards, and a lot more threads that aren't megathreads on those boards. There just isn't a 2,000-3,000 thread merge history here to account for the difference, and I have a hard time imagining there being that many missed thread opportunities over the last 3 years (which is what the stats reflect). Do we really want another 3,000 duplicate threads? What would they be about? Just about every board in our division is similar to ours, with the current exception of the Pens due to their Cup and the Rangers due to the size of their market.

If people want to start some good threads that aren't already covered, go for it.

 

[CapsJunkie]

The NHL Department of Public Safety has determined that there'll be no hearing for Daniel Winnik.

lol

 

[Langway]

It's probably also how they're winning in part. Team defense is not particularly thrilling but it does deserve more respect. They still need to refine some of their offensive instincts/habits but their defensive structure is high-end. That's nothing new, especially against teams that struggle to gain a foothold once the Caps get the upper hand. Also, Florida is a good team. They come twabby approved. And that's without Huberdeau and Bjugstad. The Rangers should be another good test before the road trip. They're not as entertaining as they used to be but that's okay. I'd gladly trade flash and dash for subtlety, maturity and actively developing all areas of weakness.

Mostly in the regular season I'm interested in those areas of weakness being improved and the development of the younger supporting cast. So far so good for 65/9/88 but 92/43 need work. I guess expectations for 43 on the fourth line should be minimal but he needs to flash more upside despite his linemates and their usual board play style. He needs to aim toward battling Connolly and Sanford for a third line spot. It's not like either have been amazing so far yet Connolly seems likely to hold that spot for now.

 

[Zoidberg Jesus]

Exactly. Bad news brings out the complaints.

And look at the topics that dominated most of our conversations over the last few years: Green, Semin, Mojo contract, who's the #1 goalie, why don't we get top defensemen, #1RW, #2C, McPhee's status, who's the coach going to be, etc.

Pretty much all of that has been resolved. 14th forward, Orpik/Orlov, and Wilson maybe in the top 9 are not nearly as stimulating or capable of generating interest.

It's pretty funny, isn't it? We finally got the roster construction we wanted, and as a result there's nothing to talk about. It's not just us either, there hasn't been a thread involving the Caps on the main trade board in almost three weeks. And yet, we've all been so conditioned to ignore regular season success that we can't even be happy about it.

 

[Alexander the Gr8]

We don't have many topics of conversation these days.
Line combinations, we pretty much all agree on that. Defensive structure, again, everyone agrees to say that our team defense is excellent. Goaltending? Holtby ended that conversation when he won the Vezina. Coaching? Trotz is the best in Caps history.

Our best player are playing as well as they should, save for Kuzy who has been struggling lately. We're just sitting and waiting for the playoffs to come. If you look at this team, it has everything it takes to be successful. We're just trying to find in which way this team will inevitably fail. Hence the Orlov, Orpik and Wilson talk.

I think the Caps board will be active next offseason.

 

[AlexBrovechkin8]

I've been to 5 cities in 3 weeks for work, so I think I've seen about 2 periods of Caps hockey this year. Hopefully I'll be more of a regular again now that my work travel is wrapping up.

 

[marcel snapshot]

Am I the only who thinks (certainly with the exception of the 2nd period and some of the Isles game) that their passing, puck movement, and D to O transition has been looking crisper, faster and more polished. That was especially so in the Avs game and may have been helped by tired Av legs - but it looks to me like they've focused a bit on moving the puck with more pace and purpose (and less chip it to space and hope to win a race).

And the Swede line has been really fun to watch - their ability to pass the puck in tight quarters, and the way they key off each other is pretty interesting to watch.

Also seeing Schmidt and Orlov making some strides. Sure, Orly is a three steps forward two steps back kinda guy. But his development (or stagnation or regression) will be one of the more interesting regular season stories. The guy has a lot of tools in his tool box - skating, stick-handling, bomb of a shot, physical pop. The key will be whether his game gets steadily smarter over the year - if it does, his upside is very high.

 

[txpd]

Exactly. Bad news brings out the complaints..

Give it time. If the Caps lose 1 of the first 20 games. it will start bringing the doom.

I guess, though that would be considered bad news. Nevermind

 

[Alexander the Gr8]

Am I the only who thinks (certainly with the exception of the 2nd period and some of the Isles game) that their passing, puck movement, and D to O transition has been looking crisper, faster and more polished. That was especially so in the Avs game and may have been helped by tired Av legs - but it looks to me like they've focused a bit on moving the puck with more pace and purpose (and less chip it to space and hope to win a race).

And the Swede line has been really fun to watch - their ability to pass the puck in tight quarters, and the way they key off each other is pretty interesting to watch.

Also seeing Schmidt and Orlov making some strides. Sure, Orly is a three steps forward two steps back kinda guy. But his development (or stagnation or regression) will be one of the more interesting regular season stories. The guy has a lot of tools in his tool box - skating, stick-handling, bomb of a shot, physical pop. The key will be whether his game gets steadily smarter over the year - if it does, his upside is very high.

Everyone knows Orlov's potential is sky high. If he just knew how to use his tools correctly and if he had a better IQ defensively, he could be an elite defenseman. Not a lot of Ds in this league can do what he can do with a puck.

 

[txpd]

Everyone knows Orlov's potential is sky high. If he just knew how to use his tools correctly and if he had a better IQ defensively, he could be an elite defenseman. Not a lot of Ds in this league can do what he can do with a puck.

Not a lot Ds in this league can do what he can do without the puck. He needs to both be more consistant and make consistently better decisions. I think it is true to say that he gets himself in trouble at least as much when he has the puck as when he doesn't.

 

[txpd]

I've been to 5 cities in 3 weeks for work, so I think I've seen about 2 periods of Caps hockey this year. Hopefully I'll be more of a regular again now that my work travel is wrapping up.

nothing like work travel. I have two weeks of that coming shortly

 

[4thTierSport]

lol

… Did not realize he lost part of his ear.

 

[RandyHolt]

The NHL Department of Public Safety has determined that there'll be no hearing for Daniel Winnik.

Post of the month nomination.

 

[Raikkonen]

Passing looks better for some periods... but small sample size blablabla.

Honestly, after watching 1st periods two times both times I didn't care if we'd win the game in the end. I liked what I saw and then... just went to bed. Waking up in the morning... I went to do my morning stuff and then maybe in an hour or so asked myself what was the score? Completely disinterested in actual points.

Hard to argue over something right now.

Surely, World Cup was a factor to this too. Guys are prepared differently, will have to play very long season and are hardly on the same page, same trajectory regarding physical peaks and so on. It's just rather meaningless part of the season right now. I guess many recognize that this season especially.

There is only trade deadline as semi meaningful event for Caps in the near future.

Peace, guys!

 

[ovikovy817]

One thing I like so far, and hope we will reproduce this in the postseason, it's to score first in the game. 4 games, and all 4 times we've score first.