What does Washington do differently than us?

MR4

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Oct 20, 2014
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Is he really though?

Outside of a 5 game sample in 2015-2016 where he didn't even enter the playoffs as Anaheims #1, he's been a below average .908 goaltender over 35 playoff games played.
Holtby just got his cup at 28 on a team that's had some dominant seasons that he couldn't get it done, yet he just put up a performance worthy of a Cup. And there's no logical way we improve on Andersen until his contracts done or Sparks surprises us
I think we shouldn't ride him 60+ games during regular season. This would allow him to have energy to go hot during playoffs.
Babcock was f***ing insane to still ride out guys like Andersen & Hainsey when the smart move would've been reducing ice time at like game 60 to keep them rested. Hopefully he isn't an idiot this season
 

TMLegend

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May 27, 2012
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What are you on about?

Holtby has been .920+ in 5/6 postseasons, .930+ in 3/6 and .940+ in 2/6.

Holtby has always gotten things done. He's probably the best playoff goaltender of the 2010s.
 

ULF_55

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Feb 27, 2002
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This biggest takeaway from Washington winning the cup is: patience. It's taken those core guys a long time to finally put it together and win the cup. Just goes to show how hard it is to making it all the way through the playoffs. Food for thought.

Yep, the difference between Leafs and Capitals is the time the Capitals invested into getting a franchise player his first Cup.

There are so few, but perhaps it is time to say Ovechkin is not a franchise player. He's on the tier above.

Never was a Ovechkin fan, but gotta give the man his dues, he's earned it.
 
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Mess

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Feb 27, 2002
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Anybody notice Tom Wilson riding shotgun on the #1 line with Conn Smtythe trophy winner OV and NHL playoff scoring leader Kuznetsov?

Looks like Babcock knows what he is doing having Hyman riding alongside Auston and Willie trying to emulate some of the things Wilson brings to the 2 stars on his line.
 

CantLoseWithMatthews

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Sep 28, 2015
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Anybody notice Tom Wilson riding shotgun on the #1 line with Conn Smtythe trophy winner OV and NHL playoff scoring leader Kuznetsov?

Looks like Babcock knows what he is doing having Hyman riding alongside Auston and Willie trying to emulate some of the things Wilson brings to the 2 stars on his line.
cool, but I also noticed that Washington won the cup and the Leafs lost in the 1st round. Maybe the situations aren't identical after all
 

Mess

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cool, but I also noticed that Washington won the cup and the Leafs lost in the 1st round. Maybe the situations aren't identical after all

Playing Hyman with Matthews like Wilson with OV and KUZ is not the reason Leafs goals against was an embarrassing 4.0 per game in the playoffs. ;)

Tom Wilson (only tougher) is to OV and Kuz that Hyman is to AM and WN.

If Tom Wilson rode shotgun with Matthews I would be OK with that also.
 

Pookie

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Oct 23, 2013
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We don't have warriors.

“Sometimes those stay-at-home guys are very valuable. They can box you out, they can protect your goaltender in terms of not have to have second and third shots, those type of things,” said Capitals coach Barry Trotz, who has defended Orpik’s low analytical and advanced-stat ratings. “So they’re quite valuable in series where there’s a lot of net pressure and a lot of low play.”

Trotz prefers to judge players more on what he feels and sees than by analytics. Orpik disregards analytics entirely.

“I don’t think it really reflects anyone’s value, to be honest with you. I kind of have a brief understanding of what they are,” he said. “I think as a team this year I guess we have bad shot numbers or whatever, and our team did pretty well. I don’t know. I couldn’t tell you what guys’ numbers are. There’s probably guys that have good numbers that I wouldn’t want as teammates and guys that have bad ones that I’d want as teammates.”

Statistics don’t tell his story

Kind of a middle finger to the Stats Junkies that want to evaluate everything based on "Underlying numbers"

Playoffs are a different beast altogether and you need players that are willing to slay it. We need to get more of them.
 

Shanty

July hockey is where bridges are burned
Jan 9, 2010
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We don't have warriors.

“Sometimes those stay-at-home guys are very valuable. They can box you out, they can protect your goaltender in terms of not have to have second and third shots, those type of things,” said Capitals coach Barry Trotz, who has defended Orpik’s low analytical and advanced-stat ratings. “So they’re quite valuable in series where there’s a lot of net pressure and a lot of low play.”

Trotz prefers to judge players more on what he feels and sees than by analytics. Orpik disregards analytics entirely.

“I don’t think it really reflects anyone’s value, to be honest with you. I kind of have a brief understanding of what they are,” he said. “I think as a team this year I guess we have bad shot numbers or whatever, and our team did pretty well. I don’t know. I couldn’t tell you what guys’ numbers are. There’s probably guys that have good numbers that I wouldn’t want as teammates and guys that have bad ones that I’d want as teammates.”

Statistics don’t tell his story

Kind of a middle finger to the Stats Junkies that want to evaluate everything based on "Underlying numbers"

Playoffs are a different beast altogether and you need players that are willing to slay it. We need to get more of them.

I think it comes down to the fact that "defensive worth" isn't something we're able to accurately measure at this time. Many of the newer analytics help us tell the story of a player's aptitudes overall, but if you're a defence-first player like Orpik or Polak, I think a lot of tangible evidence goes unnoticed.
 

Pookie

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I think it comes down to the fact that "defensive worth" isn't something we're able to accurately measure at this time. Many of the newer analytics help us tell the story of a player's aptitudes overall, but if you're a defence-first player like Orpik or Polak, I think a lot of tangible evidence goes unnoticed.

Agreed. A lot of tangible evidence goes unnoticed whereby a lot of irrelevant drivel really gets noticed.
 

Shanty

July hockey is where bridges are burned
Jan 9, 2010
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Agreed. A lot of tangible evidence goes unnoticed whereby a lot of irrelevant drivel really gets noticed.

I'm not saying the metrics aren't relevant. If you're comparing similar players, metrics can tell you everything you need to know, but they aren't yet compreshensive enough for apples and oranges discussions.
 

Peiskos

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Jan 4, 2018
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I don't know if this has been mentioned already but it kind of a shitty feeling to know that the Capitals finished with an identical record to the Leafs, in fact the Leafs had a superior goal differential and were in many regards the better team.

Leafs : 49-26-7, 105 points, 277 GF, 232 GA, +45

Caps : 49-26-7, 105 points, 259 GF, 239 GA, +20

Two teams finished the 2018 NHL regular season with 105 points, of course with typical Leafs luck its the slightly worse regular season 105 point team that goes on to win the cup.

A kick in the nuts and our ridiculous drought continues.
 

Jimmy Firecracker

Fire Sheldon.
Mar 30, 2010
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I don't know if this has been mentioned already but it kind of a ****ty feeling to know that the Capitals finished with an identical record to the Leafs, in fact the Leafs had a superior goal differential and were in many regards the better team.

Leafs : 49-26-7, 105 points, 277 GF, 232 GA, +45

Caps : 49-26-7, 105 points, 259 GF, 239 GA, +20

Two teams finished the 2018 NHL regular season with 105 points, of course with typical Leafs luck its the slightly worse regular season 105 point team that goes on to win the cup.

A kick in the nuts and our ridiculous drought continues.

We’re just not there yet. Capitals are playoff tested. A veteran squad with something to prove, led by a man on a mission to get his first Cup. Leafs core players just aren’t at that level of experience and motivation yet.
 

IPS

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Sep 28, 2017
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They're better in all the important spots. They have depth down the middle with two #1C's, an upper tier 3C in Eller who can slide up and down and play any role, and one of the better 4C in Beagle who's a PK specialist. Their defense core is well balanced overall, with a solid #1 in Carlson, And Niskanen and Orlov aren't exactly slouches either.
Oh, and they have a Vezina winning goaltender in Holtby who had been a strong playoff performer historically.

Maybe even more importantly, they're not one dimensional and can beat you several different ways. They can play heavy and wear you down, they can win a shootout due to their firepower up front, they can win a low scoring, defensive battle with Holtby in net.

Building from the net out with depth down the middle, a upper echelon defense core and elite goaltending remains the magic formula to win a cup.

The Leafs aren't even remotely close to a championship in my opinion. Upgrades on Kadri, Andersen and a #1D are still needed

Kuznetsov-Backstrom-Eller is easily the best center depth they've had but you kind of lost the plot from there.. Their defense is honestly nothing special - Carlson, Niskanen and Orlov are good defensemen but there's not even a definitive #1 in that group. Carlson isn't a #1 and even caps fans will tell you that, he's a damn good offensive D-man though.

Then you really lose the plot by proclaiming they followed an alleged "magic formula" to win the cup. The strength of their lineup is up front, not defensemen :laugh:
 

IPS

Registered User
Sep 28, 2017
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I don't know if this has been mentioned already but it kind of a ****ty feeling to know that the Capitals finished with an identical record to the Leafs, in fact the Leafs had a superior goal differential and were in many regards the better team.

Leafs : 49-26-7, 105 points, 277 GF, 232 GA, +45

Caps : 49-26-7, 105 points, 259 GF, 239 GA, +20

Two teams finished the 2018 NHL regular season with 105 points, of course with typical Leafs luck its the slightly worse regular season 105 point team that goes on to win the cup.

A kick in the nuts and our ridiculous drought continues.
10 years of not even going past the 2nd round my friend. We can't tell them shit about luck because they've had none up until this year.
 

IPS

Registered User
Sep 28, 2017
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This biggest takeaway from Washington winning the cup is: patience. It's taken those core guys a long time to finally put it together and win the cup. Just goes to show how hard it is to making it all the way through the playoffs. Food for thought.
Honestly the best teams they've had always seemed to run into a Penguins team that's just a little bit better.
 

Buds17

Registered User
Nov 29, 2015
8,221
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I don't know if this has been mentioned already but it kind of a ****ty feeling to know that the Capitals finished with an identical record to the Leafs, in fact the Leafs had a superior goal differential and were in many regards the better team.

Leafs : 49-26-7, 105 points, 277 GF, 232 GA, +45

Caps : 49-26-7, 105 points, 259 GF, 239 GA, +20

Two teams finished the 2018 NHL regular season with 105 points, of course with typical Leafs luck its the slightly worse regular season 105 point team that goes on to win the cup.

A kick in the nuts and our ridiculous drought continues.

Regular season and playoffs don't necessarily play out the same way. Think the Leafs had the tougher 1st round matchup, but the Caps did eliminate the defending champs along the way to winning their own championship. There will undoubtedly be some changes to the roster over time, but I still think the Leafs are more a case of not right now as opposed to being not right. It's a young team that still needs development and experience.
 

ITM

As Long As It Takes
Jan 26, 2012
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Washington stayed the course for as long as it took.

Anyone care to tally the seasons since the Capitals drafted Ovechkin 1/1?

More importantly, anyone care to weigh in on why so many of these "What did Team-X do differently than us?" us threads completely avoid the necessary primary element of patience required to win a Cup?

Next thread topic? "Why do Leafs fans look for any answer to a Cup other than patient, prudent team-building?"
 

I Believe

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Mar 5, 2011
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I know Hyman playing with Matthews rubs some people the wrong way.
Washington had no issue playing Wilson with Ovechkin & Kuznestov.
Just saying :sarcasm:
 

Liminality

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Oct 22, 2008
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I know Hyman playing with Matthews rubs some people the wrong way.
Washington had no issue playing Wilson with Ovechkin & Kuznestov.
Just saying :sarcasm:
I'm not a huge fan of Wilson but he had an amazing PK shift and some really good shifts when he wasn't trying to goon it up. He dominated them physically and outskated them to the puck numerous times.

Hyman isn't as aggressive physically but he does other things better and they have some similarities in their roles imo. I think Hyman has a bit more offensive upside but Wilson seems to be doing better in that regard than I first imagined he would. I also think Hyman's penalty differential against top competition is a big plus over Wilson who led the league in penalties in the regular season AND the playoffs. (41 minors in the regular season and 13 in the playoffs)

Can't deny that he had a good playoffs and made a great complimentary player on that Ovie line when he wasn't in the penalty box.
 

cannucky

Registered User
Aug 18, 2011
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comparing Hymen to Wilson is a joke , Hymen couldn't carry Wilsons jock strap .What does Washington do that we don't ? They play like men instead of Euro p***y's , Big bad Canadian hockey .
 

Piestany88

Registered User
Sep 29, 2017
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For starters they have 3 players and a goalie better than anyone on the Leafs and 2 , far deeper:laugh:
 

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