GDT: Washington Capitals @ Edmonton Oil Kings - 10/24/13 9:30 PM

[marcel snapshot]

Yea, looks like Big John lost 3 steps in the offseason.. He or Schmidt need to be replace by Urbom here shortly..

Think Schmidt has been noticeably more effective than Erskine. Makes mistakes for sure, but he can cover up/recover from some of them with this skating and he presumably gets smarter with more games under his belt. Big John just looks compromised physically - though he did have one "Attaboy" moment last night in the 2nd where he coughed up the puck to an Oiler and then absolutely stapled the recipient of the hairball into the boards.

 

[NobodyBeatsTheWiz]

caps win 3 in a row. 4 of 5. two nearly by shutout. resultant emotion......highly depessing.

typical.

color me happy. I enjoyed the game last night and was not left with the feeling of impending doom at all.

edit: just to be sure you know I am not being mindlessly happy, ive been saying waiver wire pickups and leftover ufa's are rarely the answer and should be counted on. ive been consistant in that regard. on the other hand Schmidt is a rookie. by definition they make bad decision based on lack of experience. particularly defensemen. Is this case, he is a players with enough skill and ability that he will into a good player when he gets 150 games. He shouldn't be on the 2nd pair, but for now it is what it is. what it isn't is depressing

When are you not being mindlessly happy regarding the Caps?

If you're not depressed that the left-handed defensmen options after Alzner are Schmidt, Urbom, and Erskine on a team with playoff aspirations, I don't know what to say. It'll be another wasted year of elite Ovechkin if it's not improved.

For the record, I like the look of Schmidt. But he should be either on the third pair with a solid vet partner, or in Hershey.

 

[txpd]

depression is a feeling of deep despair, my friend. 3 in a row and 4 of 5 does not send me to the depths of despair. nor does a 4-1 win on the road that was nearly a shutout.

so...no. Schmidt, Urbom and Erskine don't depress me. It concerns me. At least on the short term. I would prefer to see a veteran LD for the 2nd pair by playoffs. Ive said this consistently while BR and RH were talking up Erskine as a legit 2nd pair defenseman.

But these are not the playoffs. The trade deadline is well off. Schmidt is going to be a player and is going to need to play and finally, the Caps are not going to miss the playoffs as a result of those 3 LD.

I mean, are you really depressed by this? do you have an emotion lower than depression? do you get depressed when you get caught by two red lights in a row?

 

[Hivemind]

I don't disagree with you, but the fact that we're looking for the team to turn to Alexander Urbom for it's left defenseman issues is highly depressing.

Why? Alex Urbom has played well, both in Washington and New Jersey. He's certainly capable of being a 3rd pairing guy at the very minimum. Not sure why he got benched in the first place, as I liked his play more than Schmidt's.

Is he the best top 4 LD solution? No. But I think he's less depressing than Schmidt or Erskine.

 

[Ridley Simon]

depression is a feeling of deep despair, my friend. 3 in a row and 4 of 5 does not send me to the depths of despair. nor does a 4-1 win on the road that was nearly a shutout.

so...no. Schmidt, Urbom and Erskine don't depress me. It concerns me. At least on the short term. I would prefer to see a veteran LD for the 2nd pair by playoffs. Ive said this consistently while BR and RH were talking up Erskine as a legit 2nd pair defenseman.

But these are not the playoffs. The trade deadline is well off. Schmidt is going to be a player and is going to need to play and finally, the Caps are not going to miss the playoffs as a result of those 3 LD.

I mean, are you really depressed by this? do you have an emotion lower than depression? do you get depressed when you get caught by two red lights in a row?

Well, that's a bit of a stretch. Caps are what, 9th? Despite playing 60% of their games at home. Wins versus Calgary(SO), Columbus, Winnipeg (SO), and Edmonton x2 aren't exactly a murderers row, now are they?

Caps offense looks good, and so does Holtby (who I have always liked). But their Defense looks equally bad as the rest of the team looks good. Considering that they are flush against the Cap, and the only top prospect ready to join the team is in offense, then yeah....it's depressing to me, long time Caps sufferer, that they are not more balanced and that they currently do not have a legit chance to do anything this year. Colour it up any way you want, but as constucted, they don't.

My fundamental frustration (better word) about the Caps is that I know George can't fix it. History tells us so.

So I am pleased that they are no longer at the bottom of the east. But I am no more happy than you are depressed. As what's above happiness? Elation? NBTW isn't morose.

 

[hb12xchamps]

Just remember Orlov had a nice weekend last week in St. John's and has two home games Saturday and Sunday. If he has another great weekend he may get the call.

 

[txpd]

stretch? I don't think so. they are 9th. ok. so what. are you saying you think its likely that they are at their standings peak where they are?

I am saying they are not going to miss the playoffs. I am confident.
Are you saying they will miss?

yes...frustration is far better than depressed. I am not sure the team hasn't been fixed from time to time. teams that are fixed don't win the cup in a given season as a matter of course. the best team wins the cup sometimes. teams capable of winning the cup win and lose the cup every season.

anyway...my point is made. the caps win 4-1. they have won 3 straight and 4 of 5. yet here.....we are talking doom. as usual.
ovechkin is scoring a goal per game pace for like 30 games or something now. the hated marcus Johansson is tied for 2nd in the league in assists with backstrom and Crosby and thornton. the pk is 2nd in the league and the pp 1. yet.....all we talk about here is how the team sucks and how George should be fired and Ted doesn't care if the caps win.

 

[MoJoSauce]

Mojos game really impressed me last night, played physical against the boards and won some puck battles. Also on that nicky goal, dubnyk definitely thought mojo was going to shoot and sold out to block the shot, which gave nicky the open net.

Erskine didn't look great speed wise, but I thought the other 2 d lines looked good. Obviously the defense is a work in progress, but there are a lot of positives for this team. Especially those mentioned by txpd

 

[NobodyBeatsTheWiz]

Why? Alex Urbom has played well, both in Washington and New Jersey. He's certainly capable of being a 3rd pairing guy at the very minimum. Not sure why he got benched in the first place, as I liked his play more than Schmidt's.

Is he the best top 4 LD solution? No. But I think he's less depressing than Schmidt or Erskine.

You don't find it depressing that our apparent best option after Alzner was a waiver-wire pickup?

And feeling depressed about a specific issue =/= suffering from depression.

 

[Roughing]

Top line looks great and my only comment about the next three is that Laich should never play Center.

However, I'd play any/all of Orlov, Urbom, Schmidt, and Carrick over Erskine or Oleksy (or Hillen) right now.

 

[BrooklynCapsFan]

stretch? I don't think so. they are 9th. ok. so what. are you saying you think its likely that they are at their standings peak where they are?

I am saying they are not going to miss the playoffs. I am confident.
Are you saying they will miss?

yes...frustration is far better than depressed. I am not sure the team hasn't been fixed from time to time. teams that are fixed don't win the cup in a given season as a matter of course. the best team wins the cup sometimes. teams capable of winning the cup win and lose the cup every season.

anyway...my point is made. the caps win 4-1. they have won 3 straight and 4 of 5. yet here.....we are talking doom. as usual.
ovechkin is scoring a goal per game pace for like 30 games or something now. the hated marcus Johansson is tied for 2nd in the league in assists with backstrom and Crosby and thornton. the pk is 2nd in the league and the pp 1. yet.....all we talk about here is how the team sucks and how George should be fired and Ted doesn't care if the caps win.

It's a small sample but two of my biggest concerns from last year (for me at least) are still there.

Offense is still feast of famine. In 4 of our games we've scored 2 goals or fewer. In 6 we've scored 4 or more.

We're tied for 21st in ESG.

These two go a long way to answering the annual question of, "Hey, where the hell did our offense go in the playoffs?".

As to our position in 9th...

We don't have a win over a team that made the playoffs last year (it's not their fault that they've had a weak schedule, but it's not reassuring having had a creampuff first 10 games and walking away with 5 wins.).

2 of our wins came in the shootout.

We'll know a lot more at the 20 game mark.

 

[Ridley Simon]

stretch? I don't think so. they are 9th. ok. so what. are you saying you think its likely that they are at their standings peak where they are?

I am saying they are not going to miss the playoffs. I am confident.
Are you saying they will miss?

yes...frustration is far better than depressed. I am not sure the team hasn't been fixed from time to time. teams that are fixed don't win the cup in a given season as a matter of course. the best team wins the cup sometimes. teams capable of winning the cup win and lose the cup every season.

anyway...my point is made. the caps win 4-1. they have won 3 straight and 4 of 5. yet here.....we are talking doom. as usual.
ovechkin is scoring a goal per game pace for like 30 games or something now. the hated marcus Johansson is tied for 2nd in the league in assists with backstrom and Crosby and thornton. the pk is 2nd in the league and the pp 1. yet.....all we talk about here is how the team sucks and how George should be fired and Ted doesn't care if the caps win.

Lol, that's hyperbole, Tex.

One guy mentioned he was still depressed about he defense. Caps are 5-5. How they got their matters a little, but not as much as the actual record matters.

I think it's 50/50 that this team, as constructed, makes the playoffs. I've been saying that all along, and it's still true form where I sit, and a up 5 down 5 doesn't change that, at all. How could it? We are seeing the best of Ovechkin, as you noted....and the team is .500. So if he slows down? He won't score 80 goals. Then what?

MoJo is a product of Ovechkin, much like the Clinton economy was a product of the tech boom. Neither got in the way of a force they didn't have much to do with.

 

[Ridley Simon]

You don't find it depressing that our apparent best option after Alzner was a waiver-wire pickup?

And feeling depressed about a specific issue =/= suffering from depression.

Depressed does not equal despondent. Much like happy doesn't equal elation.

 

[Liberati0n*]

NBTW, there are medications that can help you. Have you ever considered talking to someone?

 

[Liberati0n*]

Just don't do anything you regret before you can get some help.

 

[DCRedhawk21]

I actually think MoJo has improved a decent amount this year. He's still the weakest link on the first line - but anyone currently on the team who plays LW on that line is going to be the weakest link. I don't think he's a complete passenger like he was last year.

 

[Hivemind]

You don't find it depressing that our apparent best option after Alzner was a waiver-wire pickup?

Out of context, that would be pretty depressing. Just like Anaheim's best scoring center option after Getzlaf costing only a minor leaguer and 4th round pick would be depressing out of context.

Sometimes you get a good player for cheap, or even on waivers. It happens. I think Urbom certainly has the potential be a quality NHL regular. I'm not sure what the coaches have seen in Washington and New Jersey for him to not get that chance, other than the obvious numbers games in both scenarios. I know NJ fans were pissed he was on waivers, and that Lou has made a number of really questionable decisions in recent years.

Would I prefer more proven option? Yes, there's no doubt. But I'd like to see what Urbom can do given a real chance.

 

[txpd]

MoJo is a product of Ovechkin, much like the Clinton economy was a product of the tech boom. Neither got in the way of a force they didn't have much to do with.

I think that depends entirely on the scale of that comment. Are you saying that Backstrom is also a product of Ovechkin? He has the same 10 assists that Johansson does. Was Johansson's pass for Backstrom's layup last night a product of Ovechkin or the one touch pass for the Ward ppg the other night a product of Ovechkin?

How far do you want to take that?

Ovechkin is not scoring a goal per game without getting quality set ups. How much of Ovechkin is a product of Backstrom and/or Johansson?

 

[txpd]

Out of context, that would be pretty depressing. Just like Anaheim's best scoring center option after Getzlaf costing only a minor leaguer and 4th round pick would be depressing out of context.

Sometimes you get a good player for cheap, or even on waivers. It happens. I think Urbom certainly has the potential be a quality NHL regular. I'm not sure what the coaches have seen in Washington and New Jersey for him to not get that chance, other than the obvious numbers games in both scenarios. I know NJ fans were pissed he was on waivers, and that Lou has made a number of really questionable decisions in recent years.

Would I prefer more proven option? Yes, there's no doubt. But I'd like to see what Urbom can do given a real chance.

its just my read, but it appears that the caps like Schmidt's game better than urbom right now. One of the two was going to get scratched when Erskine was ready to play. When Urbom was bumped down to the 3rd pair, that was the signal that he would be the one to watch. Meanwhile Erskine was going to play regardless, because the Caps surely want to evaluate whether he's lost his game or whether he was slowed by an injury.

I think Urbom gets back in sooner than later. It might not be after a win but it might be. I would not be shocked to see a change for Calgary but certainly by the end of the road trip assuming the Caps don't win all those games.

 

[strungout]

I actually think MoJo has improved a decent amount this year. He's still the weakest link on the first line - but anyone currently on the team who plays LW on that line is going to be the weakest link. I don't think he's a complete passenger like he was last year.

He working harder along the boards and in traffic than he has in the past....I think thats his biggest change this season so far my my vantage point.

 

[Carlzner]

Watching the highlights, great play by Grabo on the Chimera goal.

 

[BrooklynCapsFan]

He working harder along the boards and in traffic than he has in the past....I think thats his biggest change this season so far my my vantage point.

He's also been far more decisive with the puck. I've been more impressed with that than his work in traffic. I would still expect him to struggle/fold under more aggressive board pressure.

I think that depends entirely on the scale of that comment. Are you saying that Backstrom is also a product of Ovechkin? He has the same 10 assists that Johansson does. Was Johansson's pass for Backstrom's layup last night a product of Ovechkin or the one touch pass for the Ward ppg the other night a product of Ovechkin?

How far do you want to take that?

Ovechkin is not scoring a goal per game without getting quality set ups. How much of Ovechkin is a product of Backstrom and/or Johansson?

I don't think it's a stretch to say that Ovechkin is a ppg+ player with, say Grabovski and Erat.
I don't think it's a stretch to say that Backstrom is a ppg player with, say Erat and Brouwer.
I do think it's a stretch to say that Johansson is a ppg player with, say Erat and Brouwer.

But these are all hypotheticals.

 

[SimplySensational]

Who cares if MoJo is a product or not. Product > Lead anchor.

 

[BrooklynCapsFan]

Who cares if MoJo is a product or not. Product > Lead anchor.

Opportunity cost. But the benefit we get from his salary AND ability to complete a very effective top line is tremendous. It allows us to allocate that savings to Brooks Laich!

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

its just my read, but it appears that the caps like Schmidt's game better than urbom right now. One of the two was going to get scratched when Erskine was ready to play. When Urbom was bumped down to the 3rd pair, that was the signal that he would be the one to watch. Meanwhile Erskine was going to play regardless, because the Caps surely want to evaluate whether he's lost his game or whether he was slowed by an injury.

I think Urbom gets back in sooner than later. It might not be after a win but it might be. I would not be shocked to see a change for Calgary but certainly by the end of the road trip assuming the Caps don't win all those games.

More likely Schmidt is simply a better fit with Green (in their eyes) on that pair, rather than a testament to how well the Caps LIKE either guy.