Why You Shouldn't Worry About The Caps' Road Record

by J.P. on Dec 31, 2008 1:44 PM EST

Much has been made so far this season about the Caps' supposed road woes. Obviously a 9-10-2 road mark pales in comparison to their otherworldly 15-1-1 home record, but its hardly cause for great concern.

Yes, they've given up the most goals away from home in the League and have the Eastern Conference's worst road GAA, but here's why you shouldn't get too worked up about the Caps' play away from the VC: they're now 8-4-2 on the road against the Eastern Conference. Of their twenty remaining road games (second-fewest in the NHL), only one is against a Western Conference team, and that's a short trip to Nashville (which, incidentally, is closer to D.C. than the homes of half of the Caps' Division rivals). Further, the team was 5-2-0 on the road in December. Feeling better yet?

Don't get me wrong - the Caps certainly haven't been the same team on the road as they have been at home, often being gracious guests, laying back and seeing what kind of game they're involved in and reacting rather than setting that tone themselves. Room for improvement? Sure. But throw out a bad Western swing and the year-to-date retrospective is quite a bit sunnier.

Of course, the inability to win on the other side of the Mighty Mississippi is a problem the Caps will probably need to address before the Cup Finals. Ahem.

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Don’t get me wrong – the Caps certainly haven’t been the same team on the road as they have been at home, often being gracious guests, laying back and seeing what kind of game they’re involved in and reacting rather than setting that tone themselves.

That’s a great observation. Like most Caps fans I’d noticed the team’s performance suffering on the road but I wasn’t quite able to put my finger on why, and think that’s exactly it. Well that, and the team took a little while to adjust to the injuries.

Of course, the inability to win on the other side of the Mighty Mississippi is a problem the Caps will probably need to address before the Cup Finals. Ahem.

So you see San Jose beating out Detroit for the West?

by David Getz on Dec 31, 2008 2:36 PM EST reply actions

So you see San Jose beating out Detroit for the West?

Does the signing of C. Lemieux help them beat Detroit? But hey, consensus in some circles is that San Jose will choke during the first round. Hmmm, maybe Claude is there to help them get past “the hump” and into the Western Conference finals.

by Mr. Boots on Dec 31, 2008 5:27 PM EST up reply actions

So you see San Jose beating out Detroit for the West?

I don’t think it’s destined to be those two teams fighting it out. I think Chicago, Calgary and Vancouver could make a major run at the conference as well. The Sharks look great now, but that conference is close enough that any of those teams could peak late and come out on top. Chicago, in particular, is looking damn good this year and has time to solve the Wings and the Sharks before the playoffs (then again, I think Chicago is going to beat the Wings today in the outdoor game; we’ll see how that prediction turns out).

by boz on Jan 1, 2009 11:56 AM EST up reply actions

Well, nevermind on today’s game. Hawks looked awful.

by boz on Jan 1, 2009 4:09 PM EST up reply actions

As Vogel has said on the podcast – you’re never really in trouble in the playoffs until you lose at home. Obviously that’s an oversimplification, but not by a whole lot.

A .500 road record isn’t too shabby, so there’s some room for improvement, but now that it’s looking like LX has turned a corner for this season, I don’t think it’s going out on a limb to say those GAA numbers are on their way down. I don’t know if you feel like some people might be reaching for the panic button on this issue, but it is quite premature.

I have as many wins in a Capitals uniform as Michael Belhumeur does.

by marky narc on Dec 31, 2008 4:33 PM EST reply actions

Don't jinx it.

I’m afraid to so much as breathe on JT60 – I like what I see so much I’m afraid to so much as breathe on it.

by gotsparkly on Dec 31, 2008 7:32 PM EST up reply actions

Yeah, I was trying to be as careful with my words as possible. :) I suppose an obligatory “it’s how many you win, not how many you win them by” is appropriate here as well.

I have as many wins in a Capitals uniform as Michael Belhumeur does.

by marky narc on Jan 1, 2009 10:11 AM EST up reply actions

Yup. As long as we keep winning, it’s all good. He looked a little rough in morning skate this morning, so I wouldn’t be in a hurry to say he’s completely turned a corner yet. (Johnson starts tonight, BTW, per Tarik and that fits with what I saw.) I just want him to play the way he’s been playing the last two games, and I want to see him do well here. Maybe I’m a softie, but I’m pulling for him to turn it around still and I want to believe that he can. He’s starting to, and I hope he keeps it up.

by gotsparkly on Jan 1, 2009 1:20 PM EST up reply actions

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