Recap - Rangers 2, Capitals 1
by David Getz on Apr 23, 2009 7:00 AM EDT
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Try as he might, Sean Avery simply wasn't able to give last night's game to the Washington Capitals.
A pair of selfish, stupid, and unnecessary penalties committed by Avery in the game's last ten minutes (one of which found the Rangers forward lucky to only be in the box for two minutes rather than five) gave the Capitals chances to beat Henrik Lundqvist a second time and send the game in to overtime, but the Capitals couldn't make Avery and the Rangers pay and will ultimately be sent back to Verizon Center down three games to one.
But even though Avery's antics might be the sexier story, the more important one for the Capitals is the team's inability (or unwillingness) to adapt their play to stay competitive on the Rangers. Aside from their Game Three victory the Capitals seem to be stuck in a Groundhog Day-eqsue cycle of mediocre hockey marked by an inability to get shot chances on net, and unwillingness to go to the net hard, an over-reliance on underperforming players, and a lack of tactical adjustment beyond line shuffling.
The most maddening facet of the Capitals' performance, to us fans, is that these problems seem entirely correctable. The Rangers have not overwhelmed the Capitals with their skill, power, or speed. They're winning games by simply making fewer mistakes and allowing a frustrated Capitals team to beat themselves. The obvious thing to do in the situation is point fingers at the coach - and certainly Bruce Boudreau deserves to have his performance questioned just as much as any of his players do - but this is a problem that goes beyond the man behind the bench and encapsulates the team's veteran leadership (Sergei Fedorov, Tom Poti, Viktor Kolzov), as well as its lead-by-example skaters (Alexander Semin, Mike Green, Alexander Ovechkin). The good news in this team-wide problem is it means it's not a matter of one person alone stepping up and changing the team's fortune. But someone, or better yet some collection of players, is going to have to give this team a swift kick in the you-know-what if the Caps want any chance of rebounding and making it out of the first round.
Some additional thoughts on last night's game:
- Here's you obligatory Tomas Fleischmann on special teams lamentation: Why is Tomas Fleischmann on the first powerplay unit? And why is he killing penalties at all?
- Speaking of Fleischmann, if I'm George McPhee, I'm starting to wonder if I should trade the guy just because Boudreau's infatuation with him is hurting the team.
- Mike Green's playoffs now include 19 shots attempts missed or blocked (compared to eleven shots on goal), seven giveaways (all in one game), zero goals, zero primary assists, zero even strength points, and a minus-three rating. And he played 29:51 last night
- The Capitals won only 33% of last night's faceoffs. No Capitals player was over 47% on draws.
- It'd be fair to note that if Jose Theodore had made the mistake Simeon Varlamov did that led to the Rangers' second goal, Capitals fans would be calling for his head this morning. Of course, it's also fair to note that Simeon Varlamov has, in three playoff starts, allowed one fewer goal than Jose Theodore did in one playoff start.
- Alexander Semin showed uncharacteristic restraint during the first period of last night's game after being slashed by Sean Avery on an offside call. In fact, Semin doubled back after the stick work and then seemed less interested in any extracurriculars after seeing Avery. Whatever the Capitals have said in the locker room about tuning Avery out seems to be working.
- Credit to the Capitals fourth line for working hard and drawing a penalty after the Rangers' second goal.
- Viktor Kozlov seemed to again be in contract year form.
This season, last season, and in last year's playoffs the Capitals were at their best when they seemed to be facing impossible odds. Here's hoping they're able that trend alive on Friday, and here's hoping for just a little more help from the hockey gods when it comes to the bounces and the posts.
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Dear Mr. Boudreau,
Please please please please please please please dress #17 tomorrow night.
Love and kisses,
Me
by Kerry Fraser's Hairspray on Apr 23, 2009 7:14 AM EDT reply actions
I would LOVE to see 92, 55, and 14 in the pressbox while 21 and 17 GET IN FRONT OF THE GOD DAMN NET on the PP and 5-on-5.
Schultz is day to day with an injury. Move on please.
Ben Olsen > Wells Thompson
by Bald Pollack on Apr 23, 2009 7:23 AM EDT up reply actions
At least one DC team won. ;)
Ben Olsen > Wells Thompson
by Bald Pollack on Apr 23, 2009 7:31 AM EDT up reply actions
A couple of points:
1. I thought Semin was horrible. His compete level was next-to-nil (maybe that’s why he didn’t react to Avery’s slash), he had two HHTs (including one with 7:30 left in the game, and reasonable minds may differ on this last point, but if he was willing to take a little more contact, I think he could have scored on his wrap-around, but he bailed early on it.
2. The second goal was the one we all feared from Varly (a.k.a. a softie – a little non-challant, perhaps?) but the critical thing was he didn’t let it snowball into more – I’m sure plenty of 20-year-olds (and guys a lot older) would let a goal like that take them out of the rest of the game, if not series, mentally.
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Oh, and what the hell happened in the faceoff circle? I thought that for at least the first 2/3 of the game, all you needed to know about the game was in that stat – the Rangers simply wanted it more and it was reflected in the dot.
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as a side note, because I’m not sure it would have equaled a win, how does the NHL not suspend Avery? The three games he didn’t have double digit PIM he’s been getting away with murder out there. Seems like he’s escalating and soon he’ll pull a Simon and try to cleat some body.
Avery has been one of the Caps’ best players – let him play, says I.
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I’m wondering this too. The Caps more than had their chances. But Avery is beyond ridiculous and there is going to be a completely unnecessary injury. But neither Joe B. or Craig L. seemed to make much of it (although they keep calling the games like they are happening in December). What a punk.
Further to the point on Semin, he had one terrible cross-ice neutral zone pass in the first period that made me want to puke. Get the puck in the zone. Please.
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He did have a bad game. And Nicky wasn’t much better, honestly. He was absolutely stifled last night. The Rags had 3 clearly marked men in AO, Semin, and Nicky, and they completed their assignments pretty much perfectly (no goalie’s going to stop Ovie’s goal). The Caps have got to get their heads out of their asses and figure out why the hell they can’t beat this Rags defense. For christ’s sake, they’re not even that good. But they do seem steady, and that’s more than we can say for ourselves.
And that was an unfortunately bad goal on Simeon’s part. I wonder if it caught him by surprise, or if it knuckled some on its way in. Watching the broadcast, I couldn’t BELIEVE that that puck made it in.
by DrinkingPartner on Apr 23, 2009 9:15 AM EDT up reply actions
I note all your Semin problems from last nights game, but there’s much much more to worry about IMO. Like other than 3 top-line (or who should be top like) forwards (8, 19, 21) we’re terrible. Not even bad… terrible.
It disgusts me to think about Fedorov making $4 million dollars for “intangibles” (cough) …
Kozlov is arguably the biggest waste of stick skill and physical size in the league…(I was warned of this when we signed him by a friend of mine)
- (doesn’t even deserve to have me remember how to spell his name…) needs to take a hike. I would be more than fine if he turned into the next big thing in another jersey… just get him out of here.
Brash is done… needs to hang’em up and practice pro wrestling.
Fehr needs a shot on the top two lines. Brooks needs a place permanently up there.
And i didn’t even say a word about the defense… but Mike Green… wow… We’d be better of with Tom Green right now….
but Mike Green… wow… We’d be better of with Tom Green right now….
is this tony kornheiser?
by Natty Bumppo on Apr 23, 2009 12:06 PM EDT up reply actions
Kozlov was good after Ovechkin’s goal in the 3rd. Trouble is, no one else was.
To think that Steckel, our best faceoff man, could’ve gone for the tie up with Dubinsky, and then late last night I’d be getting out the popcorn for OT.
by red army line on Apr 23, 2009 6:54 PM EDT up reply actions
Semin
whatever competitive drive he showed last yr, that gave us so much hope, has been completely absent this whole series. even in game 3, his best statistical game, he was soft and unwilling to do any dirty work.
he can be a game breaker, but his head is a circus most of the time. grrrrrrrrr. why cant you be awesome, Semin?!
by ns on Apr 23, 2009 8:53 AM EDT up reply actions
i do. he positioned himself to score those goals and came through when no one else could. i’m just disappointed he is not elevating his game to what we have previously seen from him against a tougher team (Flyers).
by ns on Apr 23, 2009 9:28 AM EDT up reply actions
Semin is by far my favorite player (for lots of reasons), but I’m going to say he was the lucky bystander of Game 3. He was where he needed to be, granted, but Game 3 was won by Nicky and Varlamov (and AO).
by DrinkingPartner on Apr 23, 2009 9:28 AM EDT up reply actions
As a player, yes, I know, but I’m saying he didn’t do the dirty work that got them the win, he was the beneficiary of it.
by DrinkingPartner on Apr 23, 2009 10:21 AM EDT up reply actions
There is a lot of unspoken, unpleasant, well, if not “truth” than “impression” there.
…this is a problem that goes beyond the man behind the bench and encapsulates the team’s veteran leadership (Sergei Fedorov, Tom Poti, Viktor Kozlov)
Two of those players will not be with the Caps next year. Hint…the non-Russian stays.
Speaking of Fleischmann, if I’m George McPhee, I’m starting to wonder if I should trade the guy just because Boudreau’s infatuation with him is hurting the team.
That bulls-eye is going to be on the personnel folks again. As a fan, I am terrified that the Caps are turning into the Ottawa Senators — regular season wonders ill-built for the playoffs. The Caps cannot: a) rely on Ovechkin to be their “blood and guts” player — he’s the franchise, and b) cannot afford the luxury in the playoffs of having so little grit on the top six. Someone has to go, and Flesichmann has no other contribution to make than as a top-six forward. The Caps need to remix things to include some more vinegar on the top-six, and Fleischmann is an obvious candidate to be replaced.
Why is Tomas Fleischmann on the first powerplay unit? And why is he killing penalties at all?
Bruce, I love ya, but Fleischmann getting 3:50 of PP ice time a game? More than Fedorov (3:09…ok, maybe it’s an age and marshal his energy thing), more than Kozlov (1:51…at least he’s stronger on his skates than 14), more than Fehr (0:09, and who is a bigger body who doesn’t seem as inclined to shy away from traffic). Only three forwards get more PK ice time/game than 14 — Steckel, Gordon, and Laich.
The Caps have some very serious personnel issues facing them in this off-season, if this series ends as badly as it now can.
If you've read this far...seek help.
by ThePeerless on Apr 23, 2009 7:34 AM EDT reply actions 7 recs
Spot on on all counts.
Like I’ve said before, if things end the way they look as if they might, it’ll take more than a little tweaking this summer to get things on track (and given some of the expiring contracts, there is some flexibility there).
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I like — love in fact — that the Caps have built through the draft. But draftees are not just future players. If you stockpile them, they are also trading assets. The Caps have a glut at “sparkly forward” (Semin, Fleischmann, Bouchard, Perreault, Kugryshev). They don’t have a lot at “top six forward who can get in your face” (Osala, and I don’t even see him going all Brendan Shanahan on folks in his future).
There are holes on this team that aren’t going to be filled by way of Hershey, not in the near term, anyway.
If you've read this far...seek help.
by ThePeerless on Apr 23, 2009 8:06 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
If that’s something they recognize as a potential use for Osala, though, wouldn’t they be able to train him up to be our Shanahan? He’s got the size and can certainly achieve the strength.
The question, I guess, is do they recognize that?
by DrinkingPartner on Apr 23, 2009 9:20 AM EDT up reply actions
Nail meet head.
You can’t just amass skill and hope to be a contender. You need a good mix of talent and McPhee and the amateur scouting staff hasn’t done a good enough job in that regard. Their selecting tendencies haven’t been dynamic enough, both up front and on defense, to construct a well-rounded team just simply from building from within. Where is there anyone close to being a replacement for Brashear for instance? There’s no one even close in the system.
Beagle and AGordon have some of that but it’s a bit of a stretch. Della Rovere, Bruess, Broda and Taylor have higher compete levels but aren’t going to be ready for some time. That additional sandpaper element is going to have to come from free agency or a trade.
The team doesn’t need anyone to replace Brashear, if you’re talking about “enforcing” because he doesn’t do much of it.
fwiw, I think Broda is supposed to have questions about his “compete level”
It’s hit or miss, much like Fehr’s competiveness. Relatively speaking, though…
Agree that Brashear’s effectiveness when it comes to enforcing is questionable. Perhaps a healthy Clark will negate the need for a willing pugilist that will stick up for his teammates but I don’t think you can really have enough of that.
I really, really don’t think Fehr’s competitiveness is an issue. He’s one of the few guys on the team who forechecks hard every night and seems to enjoy it.
completely agree
luckily I think adding ‘grit’ players is doable through free agency, and you wouldn’t have to break the bank.
draft & develop the core & scoring talent, add the missing pieces via FA
Not for nothing, but thoughts on packaging a D or two for a Top 6 expiring contract next year?
Most creative rue-ing gets a puppy?
by Bald Pollack on Apr 23, 2009 7:41 AM EDT up reply actions
Obviously it depends on the D(s) and the F, but if the D is anyone not named Green, Alzner, Schultz or Carlson, I’m all ears.
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nhlscap’s ’10 UFA forward crop. Maybe a ShaMo and in-contract player gets one of those contracts.
Here’s the soon-to-be UFA crop for ’09, for those who might ax.
Most creative rue-ing gets a puppy?
by Bald Pollack on Apr 23, 2009 8:03 AM EDT up reply actions
. Someone has to go, and Flesichmann has no other contribution to make than as a top-six forward. The Caps need to remix things to include some more vinegar on the top-six, and Fleischmann is an obvious candidate to be replaced.
I agree wholeheartedly here. The problem with Fleischmann is he bring nothing other than offensive ability – he’s not a great defensive player, he doesn’t hit, he’s not a big body to deal with, etc. If you’re going to be a guy who tops out at 20 goals, 45 points, you need to bring more to the table than that (Brooks Laich, for example).
by David Getz on Apr 23, 2009 11:33 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Federov may not go if he’s willing to sign for a LOT less. Plus, 19 + 8 + playoffs = fail. 91 + 8 + playoffs >19 + 8 + playoffs. 28 + 19 + playoffs = anywhere from all-world line to stinker. This Backstrom conundrum could be a problem.
by red army line on Apr 23, 2009 6:57 PM EDT up reply actions
Oh, and I don’t know how many caught the pre-game show, but GMGM said that Mike Green had “been under the weather” recently. Uh huh. That has to be at least the fourth time in the past month and change that Green has been “ill.” Uh huh.
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Why did I suddenly think of Steve “Mono” Mason when I read that?
If you've read this far...seek help.
Ha.
I keep referring back to this March 20 quote from Dr. El-Bashir:
I just spoke with defenseman Mike Green, who was injured in the final minutes of last night’s game when he was pulled down by rookie Steven Stamkos. Green did not practice today, but said he hopes to take the morning skate tomorrow. At that time, he will decide whether he can face the ’Canes at RBC Center.
Green seemed to be moving okay. But he definitely is not “fine,” as both he and Coach Bruce Boudreau said after the Caps’ 5-2 win. If I had to speculate, I would guess that he’s got an abdominal or oblique strain.
Green played the next game and kept playing and since that fall has 4G, 8A in 13 games, but one wonders…
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Saw some talk in the Game Thread that Green might be out of shape. It’s a thought that had occurred to me earlier in the season, as well. He’s got a little pudge in his face, and his dad has got a big ol’ gut…made me suspect he was trending towards to much weight?
What a bummer this series is.
With regard to who gets blamed, I think it’s easier to ask who doesn’t get blamed. The only one I can come up with is Erskine and I guess Backstrom? Beyond that, I can think of negatives associated with any name that comes up.
Erskine scored the first goal last night – for the Rangers. Backstrom wasn’t very good last night. I don’t think anyone is unaccountable – win as a team, lose as a team.
And I thought AO was pretty great last night (happy DP? :))
As for Green’s conditioning, that’s a bit too speculative for me.
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And Green does look sick. He looks flu-ish to me. He’s playing, but he doesn’t have his speed, and he’s shying away from one-timers, which could certainly point towards an oblique/abdominal injury.
by DrinkingPartner on Apr 23, 2009 9:23 AM EDT up reply actions
why did erskine even put his stick on that puck?? it was obviously wide and you have a winger that can pedal back and get that when it goes around the net???
why did you even write that response?
easier said than done right? hockey is an extremely fast sport and he was tying up one of the Rags at the time. His job is to keep the puck away from the net…if that puck deflects and goes into the corner or he knocks it down you’d be preaching how amazing his game has been during the playoffs.
No. That’s not the case at all.
He knew where he was, why did he have to “keep the puck away from the net” when it WAS ALREADY AWAY FROM THE NET!!!
Tie up your guy and let the puck go through, to the back wall… that was his job right there.
No, that’s unreasonable to ask of Erskine. It was instinct to try catching it and making a play. It was pure bad luck.
by DrinkingPartner on Apr 23, 2009 11:49 AM EDT up reply actions
I’m interested to see who goes under the knife after the season ends, and who played with what.
I have a feeling a lot of them are playing with stuff. Drury’s gotta be playing with something ridiculous. But that’s not really an excuse.
I think, barring a miracle come back, Gabby has to go. The non nonchalantness in during the regular season, refusal to make any real adjustments, constant line changes, and this lack of effort shown doing the playoffs must come back on the coach. Give me a Torts style Task master for the guys.
I disagree, though I certainly see faults in both his coaching style and tactics.
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by J.P. on Apr 23, 2009 8:26 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
I think that is hasty. You have to give him a chance to reflect, he’s been good enough and certainly deserves the chance to correct his mistakes.
I think BB gets two more years before he’s gone, if they can’t get out of the first round. He is a good coach. He’s got a good system that this team plays remarkably well, when they do. His coaching has allowed AO two seasons with 121 total goals, which is extraordinary.
That said, he’s got to be better in the playoffs. His tactics are simple, and easily beaten (it seems), and the adjustments just don’t seem to be there. Two more years.
by DrinkingPartner on Apr 23, 2009 9:26 AM EDT up reply actions
Among other things, BB coached the team through 350+ man games lost to injury this season. We’ve had some playoff disappointments but I think it’s a little early for him to get the Ron Wilson treatment.
I think it’s a little early for him to get the Ron Wilson treatment.
He’s not even getting that, depending on the opinion.
Most creative rue-ing gets a puppy?
by Bald Pollack on Apr 23, 2009 9:32 AM EDT up reply actions
It won’t happen. But I could see throwing the assistant coaches under the bus. I like Evason but Leach should have been gone a long time ago. They need a better assistant for the defense & PK.
Not for nothing, but you’ve always got to wonder when a guy inherits assistant coaches.
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Maybe they do something with the assistants, I don’t know. Like almost everyone else, I think it’s too early to throw Bruce (or McPhee) under the bus but something Flash said in an interview has been bugging me for awhile. He said Bruce is like your father or grandfather. That just strikes me as wrong. Maybe Flash isn’t a good example since he’s teacher’s pet but if other players feel this way, tactics need to change. The coach is not your buddy, friend or family member, he’s there to teach, motivate and kick some ass. It would help if said coach held people accountable for their play of course.
All excellent points. I wrote a fairly ridiculously-long fanpost about my feelings about Bruce a while back. I noted that he kept harping on about the same things, yet he never seemed to make the tough choices necessary to enforce his statements, such as benching or shifting players down the lines for ignoring his edicts. Everyone on here has expressed frustration with Fleischmann’s continued presence on the PP to the exclusion of guys like Laich and Fehr.
Gabby says the right things, but he needs to get better at putting his money where his mouth is.
by D'ohboy on Apr 23, 2009 11:01 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
The thing about showing BB the door is that it seems like a knee-jerk reaction that doesn’t address the real question: Who’s the best available guy to coach this team? I don’t doubt there are better coaches out there, but I doubt the Caps ability to find one.
Not saying the Caps should dump Bruce – I don’t think they should – but I’ve always really liked Peter Laviolette.
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I also like me some Mike Sullivan, but I think he’s going to be Tampa’s security blanket/inevitable replacement for Tocchet.
I’d pimp for Brent Peterson from Nashville, but I’m not sure his health could hold up. He led my WinterHawks to the Memorial Cup back in 98.
Although, if we’re going for accountability, what about Bob Hartley?
I think he makes it to the start of next season without a problem.
I think Ted’s not going to be happy with a first round exit at all. But I’m not certain their is much they can do. McPhee’s on the rope more than Bruce, though I do think there could be a case of, I think the team is good enough to get further and they didn’t.
In either case, if we’re still in October/November and the team is taking nights off, then I would expect him to get whacked.
I wouldn’t however be shocked at all in a personnel shakeup to an extent. Too many people without enough want to for my tastes.
I agree that Bruce and GM are safe for now and that the roster will be reworked some during the off-season.
As for next season, I guess I’m already on record as saying this team may struggle to even make the playoffs after a loss like this (basically, I can easily envision a relatively indifferent first few months), and if they’re hovering around the 8th spot in January or so, a coaching change could be the spark they need. It would be surprising if it came to that, but I could see it, and if this summer and next season don’t produce results, perhaps you look into the front office.
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Hmm…
An underperforming team, with a couple of super-stars and a young goalie, that picks up a grizzled vet and makes a coaching change at the deadline to go on and be the hottest team in hockey for the last 3 months of the year?
Sounds familiar :)
I wouldn’t be shocked if they did slump to start, but I’m not sure with the talent at hand if that’s realistic.
As long as Atlanta doesn’t markedly improve (and while they played better down the stretch, they’re still mediocre), Tampa Bay doesn’t figure things out, and Florida hovers where they are, they should be ok.
I could see them in the 7th or 8th spot for the playoffs instead of #2, but with the offensive talent they have, I think it’s going to be difficult to see a collapse unless god forbid Ovechkin gets significantly hurt.
D.C.Motto - "Team doesn't perform, so change the coach!"
What, did I stumble onto a Skins blog by accident? I think Bruce is fine as long as learns one thing from this season: How to get this team motivated for every game and play like they did in Game 3 and not just 2-1.5 periods each night (like last night for example).
I don’t realisticly see us falling as much as everyone else who has replied to this. With a few rookies, like Alzner, pushing out Feds, Kozie, and god-willing Nylander (through trade or release) I think we’ll be better equiped for next year. I wouldn’t mind seeing GMGM pick up a puck moving center though in Free Agency or in a trade.
Wether you think you can or you can't, you're right! - Stewie Griffin
by SoMD Capsfan on Apr 23, 2009 9:29 AM EDT up reply actions
Give it a rest, a skins coach hasn’t been fired since Schottenheimer in 2002, Spurrier quit after two years and Gibbs retired after him. Before that Snyder only fired 2 coaches: Turner and Schottenheimer.
I’m just commenting on how Skins fans are practically always clamoring to have a coaching change, especially after this past season.
Wether you think you can or you can't, you're right! - Stewie Griffin
by SoMD Capsfan on Apr 23, 2009 9:53 AM EDT up reply actions
Brooks
I still can’t figure out why Brooks isn’t seeing any 1st line shifts with Ovechkin and Feds/Backstrom. He seems like a perfect fit for that line, and Kozlov obviously isn’t getting the job done.
If Kozzie were getting most of the top-line minutes in this series, I’d agree with you. As soon as the team was down 1 goal last night, the top line became 8/19/28. Kozzie was bumped to 21/91/25 line, where he found himself in game 3. The only games Kozzie got consistent top line minutes were 1 and 2 where he was able to let the top line set up in the zone. And, shocker, had a goal, something that seemed to be the barometer of his “value” to this team up until this point.
What I find interesting is that in game 1, we had so many things that worked well. VERY few things (60) that didn’t. Yet, because we just couldn’t get the bounces in game 2, we’re stuck with chasing “what works” rather than relying on guys to do their job. If we want to take this team, we need to get back to our game 1 tactics and let 40 carry the load. It can be done, but not with 21/91/25, 14/39/16 as our 2nd and 3rd lines.
we’re ripping on Kozlov after last night?
I Laich Laich as much as the next guy, but last night Kozlov actually played pretty well all things considered. Was he great? no. But when it counted, he had some good chances. I’m not sure you can say that for 7-8 of the other forwards.
I’ve said all along that Kozlov isn’t a great player, but if the team is going to be relying on him to win games, they’re in trouble.
Kozlov played a great Kozlov game. He skated well, he did his thing. I’m just not sure “his thing” is really effective in the playoffs (and his career numbers suggest it’s most definitely not).
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by J.P. on Apr 23, 2009 9:23 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Sure, I agree. But that’s my point. No one in their right mind should be expecting him to carry the load in the playoffs.
This team is going to live and die with Ovechkin, Semin, Backstrom, Green and a few others for a while. At least until they ship one of them out. I’m not sure Kozlov deserves anymore blame for being a bum now than he does at any other time.
specifically on the breakaway the TSN announcers were giving kozlov a hard time. “this is why his career playoff numbers are what they are. you have to drive hard to the net there…a shot from 15 feet won’t cut it against lundqvist.” AO also had to skate around him (literally shoving him aside) to get to a loose puck in the corner, because koz was completely stationary.
by Natty Bumppo on Apr 23, 2009 11:18 AM EDT up reply actions
Notes from the Couch
If anyone can look at the line of 21/91/25 and say “Wow, that line is built for success” can I borrow your eyes for a moment? We’re running with 1. ONE scoring line right now. 1 puck possession line, a snake-bite line and a checking line. Is that really the way this team was successful in the regular season?
The situation this team is in this year is eerily similar to where they found themselves last year. Coming home to start 3 must-wins in a row. We know what they can do, but for some reason I don’t feel as confident this year.
I could sit here and arm-chair about what lines I would like to see, or who I would like to see in the game, but the heart of the matter comes down to this: Gabby has his reasons for doing what he’s doing. This team hasn’t been overmatched yet by NYR. They’ve just been unwilling to do what needs to be done in the playoffs. I hope to hell we find out as this series winds down that:
a) Green’s been hurt
b) Laich is hurt (and thus the reason for his lack of ice time on the PP)
Like everyone else, I don’t understand why 14 gets PP time and 21 doesn’t. But we don’t know why that change was made. (All we know is that when given a chance on the PP, 21’s produced).
We’ve got a handful of guys who have clearly been told to go to the net in specific situations (Semin was firmly planted there for the last 2 pp’s last night) but it does no good if the player is unwilling to actually get in sight lines, rather than just stand there. Is that a language thing? Isn’t that where Feds is supposed to clean up.
I’m going to second a comment above. Semin had a horrible night. Sure, the untimely penalty was a problem (though, without it, I don’t think we’d have gotten our PP at the 17 min mark) but he had 3 situations where he chose a very very low percentage shot instead of a pass to a teammate that would have resulted in a great scoring opportunity. This team, and particularly the top line, has lacked the ability to get in the zone and set up. The whole series it’s been: skate-down-the-ice, shoot, turn around, play D. This team, as a whole, is taking way too many low-percentage shots rather than working to keep the puck deep in the zone. That has to be fixed.
I agree with basically all of this. Especially that last part about the “rush down the ice, take a 25 foot wrist shot with no traffic, turn around a backcheck” bit. The Caps are phenomenally good at making goaltenders look phenomenally good. They took almost 40 shots, and basically only one or two required tough saves. This has been the pattern all year. Changes will be made.
That’s a necessary part of any 5 on 4 PP. 5 on 3 is different, but 5 on 4 you need to get those shots through and knock rebounds in. But since 14 and 28 are nowhere near the net, those rebounds find the boards and they have to reset and do it all over again.
A little deception wouldn’t hurt. Looks like they’re telegraphing that stuff. You’re saying that’s something they do, regardless?
91 was out there on the PP in the third and he didn’t look so good.
I think they would bench Feds if they could, but who would you play? They’ve already benched Nylander. . .
And I don’t think they’re going to mess with the Bears in order to call up Aucoin. There’s no reason to lash the Bears’ dinghy to our sinking ship. . .
I’m not seeing Boudreau as the problem here. He hasn’t had an inspired series, himself, but the Caps have some fundamental problems in the DNA of their team that no amount of coaching can correct — only hide. The biggest thing is an utter lack of grit on the top six forwards group (unless you count Laich, who I’m not sure is clearly a top-six guy, and Ovechkin, who I really don’t like thinking about in that role). Semin, Kozlov, Fedorov, Fleischmann — none are guys who are ever going to go all Holmstrom on the goalie. It isn’t in their hockey DNA, and they don’t have the physical tools.
Some words have been expended on the matter of the Caps not being in a position to swat home rebounds that Lundqvist is leaving. Why is this surprising? If the Caps are not — as currently constituted — a crash-bang sort of offense, how is it that folks will think that the Caps will magically find a way to get themselves into perfect position to bang home rebounds? Good rebounders in the NBA are good because they know — by instinct and repetition — where shots will carom. Hockey isn’t all that different. The Caps don’t have those players.
If you've read this far...seek help.
by ThePeerless on Apr 23, 2009 8:44 AM EDT reply actions 1 recs
Here here.
Most creative rue-ing gets a puppy?
by Bald Pollack on Apr 23, 2009 8:45 AM EDT up reply actions
how’s that going to be rectified though?
Finding guys with the willingness to go Holmstrom it up, and play a solid shift on a top 2 line, aren’t a dime a dozen. If they were, tons of teams would have them.
Ryan Malone got major bucks for a reason…
Absolutely true. In fact, Holmstrom himself was a tenth round craft pick by Detroit. That’s the trick in finding late gems who can be that role player. It is the single biggest hole in the Caps drafting in the last decade — late round finds, especially in terms of playing specific roles.
If you've read this far...seek help.
Guys who have the unique knack for getting in front and being super productive are rare, but you don’t need someone who’s great at it to be effective. Finding guys who are least decently skilled and willing to get to the net (especially if it’s rewarded with additional playing time) is not terribly difficult and I think the Caps have two between Laich and Fehr.
I think the Caps havetwo betweenLaich andFehr
There I fixed that for you. Fehr has not shown that he is willing to go to the net on a regular basis. When he does, he produces, the problem is, he doesn’t do it enough. One can argue that this is because he doesn’t get enough ice time with the skill guys or on the PP, but it’s another “which comes first the chicken or the egg”.
I would argue that the Caps do have two though, Laich and Clark (when healthy).
I think Fehr goes to the net when he has the chance. The Capitals have been getting it all season from fans and media about not going to the net, but as much of it is about not getting the puck deep and cycling it and giving guys the chance to get to the net in the first place as it is being willing to do, and I think Fehr’s a microcosm of that.
Granted. But Fehr has the ability and has had the opportunity to go to the net. Granted his ice time (or lack there of) is a mystery to me, and I’m not going to try to argue that point. But how many times have we watched Fehr come in with the puck and instead of dumping it into a corner he takes a wrister from outside the circles. That’s not going to earn him more playing time if BB is preaching go to the net.
Think about Laich for most of his career…he’s not trying to dance around defenders or shoot from outside the circles, he grinds it out in the corners and tries to get to the front of the net. I just haven’t seen Fehr do that enough…to this point.
You’re right about Fehr trying to do too much carrying the puck into the zone, but I seem to notice him doing that when he’s with a set of teammates where he thinks he has to be “the guy” on the line. When he’s with more skilled players – Fleischmann and Fedorov or AO and Backstrom, he seems willing to dump it and then get to net.
Point granted…and I was going to mention the fact that when he was out there with Nyls and Flash he definitely went to the net more. But he’s a player, like Laich or Clark, that will earn his living in front of the net or in the corners. While Laich shows that ability the majority of the time (of his entire career, not just the last 18 months)…regardless of who he’s on the ice with, Fehr has not.
I’m not disputing Fehr’s production this year or how he stacks up statistically against other Caps….or even his potential. I am, however, saying that in order for him to get more ice time, he’s going to have to show he’s willing to take the punishment regardless of who is out there with him. Laich did not just wake up one morning and see his name penciled in for more PP time or top 4 forward time. He spent time in the corners and in front of the net and created opportunities that wouldn’t have been there had he not been on the ice. And, quite frankly, I just haven’t see that type of production out of Fehr when he not out there with the skill guys.
I know this is almost comparing apples to oranges…but the line of Stecks/Brads/The Donald/Gordon don’t put the biscuit in the basket very often, but they’re in the corners and in front of the net creating opportunities. I want to see more of this from Fehr…because that’s exactly what he needs to do to be effective.
Does that make any resemblance of sense?
Fehr’s issues begin and end with his skating. The guy just DOES NOT have the speed to keep up with the Caps’ top-line players in a transition game. As a result, he’s always trailing the play by 10-15 feet. Once they get in the zone, he’s good, but that’s not going to work long term.
Also, the next time you watch Fehr, count the number of times that he settles for an outside wrister. I think he’s got the potential to drive the net ala Holmstrom, but he has yet to do it with consistency/authority.
He needs to go back to Manitoba, take some power-skating lessons and hit the gym.
Holmstrom doesn’t drive the net. He parks in front of it. The key, as noted by DMG, is the damn cycle. You can’t set up a net presence without a cycle. It doesn’t matter how fast Fehr is if AO is going to shoot 45’ wrist shots every time he gets in the zone. Nobody is fast enough to get set up in front of the net for that. Until Fehr is on a line that establishes puck possession deep his potential is going to be wasted. The Caps are currently a team that scores on the transition/odd man rush or a beautiful shot. That’s not going to utilize any front of the net type player. Not Holmstrom, not Smyth, not Fehr.
I think these are two, slightly separate events. Yes, the Caps score too much in transition, and don’t consistently set up a good forecheck. However, to get into the cycle, you’ve gotta set up in the zone. If you can’t make it there with your linemates, it’s pretty tough to do that.
Also, ugly goals and “net presence” are about a little more than just putting a butt in the ‘keepers face. The Caps are also not the greatest at scoring off of rebounds, and those are actually easier to get off of the rush than the cycle, since in a cycle play, one man is usually back behind the net and the other is at the half-boards. Again, you’ve got to be with your teammates, or right on their tails, to get those kind of goals.
Like Holmstrom, Fehr is toing to do his damage on the PP. That’s when he needs to park his ass in front of the net. Until his skating improves, he’s not going to be a huge 5-5 threat. Now, why he gets zero PP time, while Flash gets a ton, is a freaking mystery to me.
If AO and Baxter dump the puck in and retrieve it and you can’t make it into the zone by then you don’t deserve to be in the NHL. I don’t think Fehr is that slow. He is slow and won’t be in on the forecheck, but he can get into the zone to support those guys. Another part about getting rebounds off the cycle is the innate sense of knowing when to peel off the cycle. Guys that see the opening for a shot and realize they shouldn’t go to the corner are hard to find, guys that can cycle aren’t as hard. Fehr has had a scorers touch everywhere he’s plaeyd. No doubt part of that is being much bigger and more skilled than his competition, but part of it is also having a nose for the net. I want to see him given a chance.
I think you’re making lots of good points, but missing the overall issue. Backstrom and Ovie aren’t going to suddenly start playing dump-and-chase so Eric Fehr can keep up. It didn’t happen on the occasions when they played together this year, and it won’t happen in the future. Backis and Ovie like to carry the puck in. Moreover, if Fehr is slow, and they dump the puck in, who’s going to go retrieve the puck? Do you really want Ovie or Backis taking that kind of punishment, game in-game out? There’s a reason that players like Kevin Stevens, Rick Tocchet, Cam Neely, John Leclair and (at some point) Ryan Smyth have shorter careers. When you make your living in the corners, you tend to get injured. I’d rather not expose our two best players to that risk, just so Fehr can trail behind the play.
Fehr needs PP time. 5-5, he’s probably going to skate with the 2nd or 3rd line, depending on who they get as the #2 center. Together, that will give him about 15 minutes of ice time a night, which is just right, I think, and, coincidentally, not far off what Holmstrom gets in Detroit.
I’m not necessarily saying dump and chase, but I do think they need to develop a different attack strategy. AO cutting across the middle and taking 45’ wrist shots is not getting it done in the playoffs, and that is what matters. He can score 50 every regular season doing that but if we want to win a Cup they are going to need to have a more sustained attack. Both SOB goals in the first period of game 3 came when they established possession below the face off dots and made the Rags cover more ice and passing angles. That is how you get teams out of position and wear them down, something we are clearly failing to do right now.
Fehr isn’t so slow that he can’t trail the play after AO or Backstrom gain the zone. I don’t think he’s as slow as you are making him out to be, but it’s really hard to project how he would do on the top line because he has gotten so little ice time with our top forwards.
I think you’re right. It looks to me like perhaps Fehr hasn’t adjusted to the speed and skill of the NHL quite yet. Perhaps in the AHL and WHL he was able to makes moves at the blue line, score of wristers from far out, and use his body selectively and in the NHL he’s going to have rely on his size more because his speed and hands aren’t going to get it done.
You go to bat all year for Flash and then bury Fehr like that? Fehr gets no ice time because your boy gets that prized first PP spot. I don’t see how you can deny that Fehr will go to the net or the corners. He does it whenever he has the chance (all 7 minutes a game).
I am not batting against Fehr here. As I said in my post, I think Fehr has the potential to be a 25 goal scorer in this league, but he’s not going to do it the same way Flash is. Despite what he’s done in lower level leagues, Fehr is going to need to learn to go to the net and work along the boards. He has at best rarely done that this year. I brought up Laich as a good example…prior to him getting top-6 minutes, he was working the boards and parking himself in front of the net to create opportunities. The majority of his points did not come until he started getting top-6 and PP minutes. To this point Fehr HAS NOT created opportunities with players other than the skill guys. Skating in with the puck and taking a wrist shot from the top of the circles and further is not, by my definition, creating opportunities.
By all definitions, Flash, as a finesse player, did what was expected of him last year…he created opportunities…did he finish those opportunities…not on a regular basis. He’s finished more of them this year and I expect that he’ll finish more next year….be it with the Caps or another team. Fehr on the other hand has not done that…does he have the potential to be a skill player? Maybe…I don’t know enough about his AHL/juniors time to speak to that. But I do know this, him shooting wristers from the face off circle is not going to cut it.
However, if I were BB, I would still give Fehr more TOI tomorrow night on the caveat that he keeps getting that time until he takes one of the wristers. We all saw Fehr at his best earlier this Spring when he was filling the role (primarily with Flash and Nyls) of going to the net.
All I was trying to say is that he needs to do that on whatever line he’s on. I’d go so far and punish him like Willie Mays Hayes was punished for hitting pop-ups…every wrister outside the circles is another night of suicides.
But we DID it!
This series, every game has been about the first goal. In game 3, what MADE that 1st goal happen? Ovie going all Holmstrom on Lundqvist. If BB insists on putting 8/19/28 together, IMO Ovie HAS to be the guy infront of the net. Dude’s larger than most Redskins linebackers, he’s not an easy guy to move. It works. It’s just the team seemed to forget over the course of 48 hours that it works.
We should’ve signed Matt Cooke, huh?
by DrinkingPartner on Apr 23, 2009 9:35 AM EDT up reply actions
Matt Cooke sucks and isn’t the solution to a net presence. He is a Sean Avery without the skill.
by Rob Parker on Apr 23, 2009 4:50 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Agreed. When the Bruins signed Mark Recchi at the trade deadline, I cringed at the thought of battling them in the playoffs. Imagine Recchi on the Caps 2nd line / PP?
by MassCapsFan on Apr 23, 2009 10:00 AM EDT up reply actions
They didn’t sign Recchi – they traded for him, and traded a pretty good asset at that in Lashoff.
Japers' Rink: Hockey blogging from the most powerful city in the world
Yep, they gave up a good one in Lashoff, but I think Recchi is the final piece that the B’s needed to win the cup.
by MassCapsFan on Apr 23, 2009 10:52 AM EDT up reply actions
The buck has to stop somewhere, though, and I don’t think McPhee should entirely be blamed. 60% of it? Sure, but the Caps backed into the playoffs thanks to a stellar but overused first PP unit and as a coach that should not be the preferred arc that you want your team on when you’re entering the playoffs. That will work in the regular season but not going deep into the post-season without coaxing more production out of your full lineup. It might not have manifested itself this early against a worse PK and goaltender but it was bound to sometime. There’s not stellar depth and experience on this team but BB is basically riding two lines because the others just aren’t doing much. He has to get and expect more out of his depth players.
Tell me why Keith Aucoin was sent down again?
I don’t fault McPhee too much right now – he’s assembled an incredible team. What he needs to now – this year and next year – is find a way to tweak that team to be one that will have more success in the playoffs.
McPhee has assembled a great amount of finesse talent…but that’s not what makes an incredible team. Intangibles and leadership aren’t in full enough supply, both within the core (in part because of immaturity) and the team as a whole. The core is strong, no doubt about that, but the overall mix has to improve.
You could argue that this summer will be more important than last. There’s shaping up to be more pressure on McPhee to add the right pieces and make the changes necessary that will translate into greater playoff success. Fail to do that and you run the risk of quickly becoming the next Ottawa or Tampa Bay.
I think when you look at the injuries and the team’s success, you have to give them a lot of credit for being pretty good, but we may just be quibbling over semantics here. But there’s no doubt that the basis for something really great is in place and it’s up to McPhee to put the finishing touches on.
Dumb Luck
Also keep in mind — even though it’s not showing up on the score sheet, the Caps have beaten Lundqvist on multiple occasions this series, only to be denied by the post. At this point Ovechkin could just as easily have 4 goals, and just like that it could be a 3-1 series the other way. As someone once said, “Sometimes in this game it’s as good to be lucky as it is to be good,” and Lundqvist has been both.
The difference between good teams and great teams is that great teams know how to play with such intensity that bad breaks don’t derail them. All year long, the Caps played with fire, showing intensity in fits and starts – it was reflected if you looked at their record and compared it to their goals for/goals against. The Caps have been singularly unable to manufacture their own luck by going to the net, while they being unable to bury teams when they get a chance.
The Rangers were eminently beatable. The Caps found a way to lose this one. Haven’t we heard that refrain before? Yeah, it was what we said after every time the Caps lost to a crappy sub-.500 team. Nobody should be shocked by this performance.
Should they lose this series I think this lyric from soundgarden wraps up the season for me:
[they] lived like a murder, how [they]’d fly so sweetly
[they] lived like a murder but they died just like suicide
by snowburnt on Apr 23, 2009 9:43 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Rec’d, both for the appropriateness of the lyric, and for quoting Soundgarden.
Let’s just hope that GMGM doesn’t close his “good eye” when he goes searching for a second line center.
Hopefully then this team could break its rusty cage, and make a run to the Stanley Cup.
Someone needs to do a Jesus Christ Pose in front of the net and block Lundqvist’s vision!
by Kerry Fraser's Hairspray on Apr 23, 2009 9:57 AM EDT up reply actions
This post listed our “veteran leadership” as: Fedorov, Kozlov and Poti. To that illustrious group, I would add Nylander, Clark and Brashear.
All of those players have some things in common, and none of them are good. Every last guy on that list was available for a reason. I could go into details, but it’s not necessary for anyone who has been paying attention.
The point is, the Caps got antsy on their rebuilding effort. They went out and picked up Nylander, Kozlov and Poti in an attempt to make the playoffs last year, and it worked, but now we’re stuck with two pretty large contracts for two guys who are really nothing more than role players. Re-signing Fedorov was one of those “feel-good” moves, but $4m was an awful lot to pay for a mediocre 2nd line center who barely managed to play half the season.
This team needs to pare down and bring some new blood in. I’d prefer that most of it be from Hershey, since that will be cheaper, but I think there’s also a 2nd line center hole that will have to be filled from outside the organization, since Nylander’s days here are done.
Nylander will still be around through next year, and he’ll play more since Feds won’t be back.
Re-signing Fedorov was one of those "feel-good" moves, but $4m was an awful lot to pay for a mediocre 2nd line center who barely managed to play half the season.
To me thats hind-sight. Feds was a feel-good move, but he was an important part of the push last year, and I think that it was a reasonable gamble by GMGM and Ted to bring him back. On paper it still looks like a good move. He has more playoff goals than the rest of the team combined. He’s been around the block and should be calming influence in the locker room. Not sure that you can blame anyone but Feds for the fact that he hasn’t gotten it done.
No, it’s not hindsight. It was a bad move. I don’t know what happened to Feds last year, but it was a mirage. He’s been done for quite some time. There is a reason that he was run out of town in both Anaheim and Columbus. It’s not like he was getting dumped from playoff teams, either. The Ducks and BJ’s both sucked while he was there. And it’s not as though Columbus didn’t need a center – they used freaking Antoine Vermette at times on their top two lines.
Fedorov has been an enigma his entire career, even when he was with Detroit. Re-signing him had more to do with how he interacted with Ovie and Semin (especially after their performance in the World Championships), and less to do with what he realistically could bring to the ice. This team desperately needed a true second-line center. And it still does. Nylander is toast, and apparently can’t figure out Bruce’s system, so he’s out.
If you said it was a bad move last summer than good on ya. But to me, and many other, it was a reasonable move. Did I think I was going to see a 24 year old Feds again? Not a chance, but you can’t discount GMGMs intention with the move, to help bring the “kids” along. He was supposed to show them how to play through the long regular season and then show them how to win in the post season. He wasn’t supposed to put up 60 points, his value was to be a good 2nd line center and teach.
Feds isn’t a true second line center any longer, but nobody expected Nyls to tank like he did. Together they should have been more than adequate to center the second line.
Don’t know if you saw it or not, but the other day, I posited something called “Fernando Pisani Syndrome,” where teams re-sign guys based more on their performance during a crucial run than their actual talent level/production potential.
Fedorov was our Fernando Pisani from last year. And we tried damn hard to get Huet to go along with him. Man, am I glad we dodged that freaking bullet. Imagine if we had Theo signed past next year? Shudder.
It’s a pros-cons thing. Assuming he was the one that got Semin’s two-way play in order, that’s a win, even at the risk of not having a consistent # 2 center all year. But for the last month, the month where many people said he’d prove his worth? Gotta disagree.
Most creative rue-ing gets a puppy?
by Bald Pollack on Apr 23, 2009 9:07 AM EDT up reply actions
I don’t disagree that Feds has been a disappointment. But his lack of on-ice production is less disappointing to me than the fact that he doesn’t seem to have done anything in the locker room worth a salt.
That kind of stuff is always hard to gauge. Without actually being in there, I’m not sure we can really tell what sort of effect he had on the locker room.
I’d say that the fact that they lolly-gagged their way through the second half of the season and are down 3-1 to a inferior Rags team in the playoffs (because of a lack of grit/effort) indicates he hasn’t done what I expected/wanted him to do.
Now, if you think that he was signed to produce on the ice, then I can’t disagree with you: signing him last year was a big mistake.
I think the instant a GM starts signing guys based less for what they will provide on the ice, and more for what they’ll provide in the locker room is the instant he should reassess what he’s doing.
I’m not saying “chemistry” doesn’t exist, or isn’t important, but I think it’s kinda like catching lightning in a bottle. Pick up guys for their performance and usually everything else works out.
I disagree with this. Character/Heart/Leadership are worth their weight in gold and something this team seems to lack (especially the leadership bit).
As a counterpoint, Clarkie’s got tons of character/heart/leadership. Where has that gotten either him, or us this year?
Would people have listened to Messier if he had been some scrappy 4th-line winger?
Character/heart/leadership are neat, but character/heart/leadership married to actual talent is much better.
Which is why AO ought to be the official C. I know people disagree, but he’s got to be the most vocal, out-going guy in the league. Who in that locker room wouldn’t follow him into battle?
by DrinkingPartner on Apr 23, 2009 10:10 AM EDT up reply actions
But why? The language barrier? The crazy-competitiveness? He leads by example (most of the time). I really don’t understand why Laich is the better C candidate.
by DrinkingPartner on Apr 23, 2009 10:22 AM EDT up reply actions
because Laich is the more complete and level headed player. a guy like Ovie is the crazy tazmanian devil you unleash on teams, but i dont see him rallying the troops with his voice, which i think is NECESSARY for a real Captain.
Ovie will be the captain down the road, but he is by no means mature enough now to do so.
I have to be honest. If I were in that locker room, Ovie’s battle cry is probably going to be the most powerful one in the room. Laich’s too quiet. Ovie’d have his Assistants to talk level-headedly. Can you imagine the image the team would have with Captain Ovechkin leading the team?
Hopefully, he’d come out of the tunnel with a stick with skulls on it.
by DrinkingPartner on Apr 23, 2009 10:27 AM EDT up reply actions
ahahaha stick with skulls on it. love it.
i see what you’re saying but i still think Laich could be the better leader, if given the chance. i think he stays quiet out of respect for the other supposed veteran leaders.
i would not be disappointed with either wearing the C…i’d just prefer Laich.
I’m in the column that says Ovechkin isn’t the best choice for C.
Though maybe it grows into him. I’m not sure he is serious enough to get that knock. Yes, the team follows him and he is the leader on the ice, but is he the type of fire and brimstone you might need to rally the troops in that third period?
He gets a lot of penalties committed against him. He has the right to wonder why.
by DrinkingPartner on Apr 23, 2009 11:50 AM EDT up reply actions
I agree w/ that totally… both what you and DP said… but at the same time, the C should “keep playing, keep skating” and let the refs do their jobs… not turn around and throw your arms up and say “what, you didn’t see that?!?!”
they saw it, and they decided to call it or not call it. I’m sure they have their eye on AO all the time, they have to, he’s everywhere… but talk to them after the play, not when the play is going the other way while you’re throwing your arms up and looking around.
Wait, why not? The C is the voice of concern to the Refs when a penalty is/isn’t called. Ovechkin already took that role upon himself and does it well. And it’s not as if he stops playing and looks at the ref, or starts shaking his hand after it was slashed (i.e. Alex Kovalev in the playoffs a few years ago). He argues when the time comes.
by DrinkingPartner on Apr 23, 2009 11:58 AM EDT up reply actions
that’s debatable, IMO. I agree, he’s the voice and does take a beating from time to time, but I still think if you look at a good captain, (21 being my choice) I don’t think I’ve seen him “complain” one time this season, and he takes a beating in front of the net, and in the corners.
but it’s the C’s job to complain. I understand that you want the strong, silent type, but the radical/crazy type can be just as effective. Especially with a team like ours. They need raucous, not sublime. IMO, of course.
by DrinkingPartner on Apr 23, 2009 12:03 PM EDT up reply actions
I don’t know how the refs take it but he looks like he tries to draw penalties too much to be a voice to the refs. I reffed for Rugby for a while and when a guy gives me the “why didn’t you call that” indignant gesture I tend to write him off as whiny. I’ve seen Ovie giving that gesture far too much instead of continuing with the play.
maybe that’s what I’m seeing too… it might be a personal thing where I feel like he’s completely upstaging me.
but then again, in the NHL, you “shouldn’t” take personal feelings into a game, or let them affect your ability to do your job.
you “shouldn’t” take personal feelings into a game
Respectfully, I think that’s crap. Ovie is pure emotion, and look what it’s gotten him: trophies, accolades, personal respect, wide-spread adoration. He’s (and his emotions are) not the reason the Caps don’t have a Cup. Gretzky was emotional, and so was Lemiuex.
by DrinkingPartner on Apr 23, 2009 12:11 PM EDT up reply actions
I was speaking of the refs reacting/feeling a specific way if/when OV reacts to a call or non call…
I love AO and his emotions… 1000%.
You’re implying he doesn’t? Again, this is why I’m so confused. I like Laich, too, but I just don’t see him as “better” in this situation.
by DrinkingPartner on Apr 23, 2009 12:29 PM EDT up reply actions
it may just be one of those things were some prefer a more silent captian, while others prefer a more outgoing captain.
Read my previous post in this thread, if you throw your hands in the air at me, as a ref I would take that as disrespectful, particularly out of a captain.
Come to me after the play and point out what I missed in a respectful way and I’d be more likely to see things your way and agree with you. I’m not saying he’s a bad person or a bad player, he should keep his fire, just don’t get excited dealing with the refs.
In some sports (like rugby) if you talk to the ref like that you get another penalty.
since when did ovie become a whiner? because he pops up looking for a call every now and then?
and scofield, he’s not “serious” enough? we’re talking about on the ice here, not in his car on E:60. the guy cares more than anyone. did this conversation just happen?
by Natty Bumppo on Apr 23, 2009 1:26 PM EDT up reply actions
He’s been in the press box since December… I’ve said on several occassions that he has been missed more than any of us know.
Character/heart/leadership are neat, but character/heart/leadership married to actual talent is much better.
yes, I’d happily take a Messier circa ’94 on this team. :)
Its a balancing act, a guy that puts up 40 points and is a quality leader might be more valuable than a guy that puts up 60 points and just follows the mood of the team.
Maybe so, but it’s always tough for guys who aren’t producing, or simply can’t produce, to call out their teammates, especially if those teammates have better numbers than they do.
On this Caps team, for example, I could imagine Laich calling out someone like Semin, but do you think that Fehr or Gordon could do the same?
Anyhow, I see your point, I just worry about teams that try to hard to find that “magical lockerroom chemistry elixir,” and ignore acquiring actual talent. Earlier, someone compared the Caps to the Ottawa Senators of the late 90s/early 00s. I don’t think it’s a totally unfair comparison. Anyhow, the Sens would go out every year at the deadline and bring in tough/character guys. And every year Toronto would kick their ass. It’s not that Toronto had more character, it’s that Toronto had skill that was married to character in the form of guys like Gary Roberts.
Yeah, but he’s been around the track a few times. And to his credit, I saw him in Boudreau’s ear a couple times during practices the last couple of weeks. But I think Tuvan had an interview with him a couple weeks ago where he seemed to echo the “we can’t wait to get to the playoffs” meme that seemed to be pervasive in the room. THAT’S the type of thing that if you’re a vet, you should speak the hell up about (imo).
To chew on hindsight a little, a 91 that signed for a million less would have been nice to deal with from a cap perspective.
Most creative rue-ing gets a puppy?
by Bald Pollack on Apr 23, 2009 9:53 AM EDT up reply actions
I couldn’t agree more. In fact, in February Feds said that and I tried to start a fanshot complaining about it (none of you guys cared to comment by the way damn it). I’m not arguing that he’s been a success, quite the contrary.
He was a gamble, and it didn’t pay out. Happily, it wasn’t a 5 year gamble.
To be fair, I was on the pipe in February. To be fairer, I’ve been on the pipe SINCE February.
Most creative rue-ing gets a puppy?
by Bald Pollack on Apr 23, 2009 10:30 AM EDT up reply actions
As for Nylander, do you really see him with this team next year? You don’t think the Caps could replace him with something better at 1/2 to 1/3 of his salary?
He’s going to be 37 to start next season. He just finished a season where he played 72 games and put up 9/24/33. He’s been a healthy scratch through most of this series. At this point, I wouldn’t blame him if he wasn’t particularly motivated anymore, since the team has made it quite clear that he’s not welcome.
Nyls will be here not because they want him to be, but because he has an NMC (which he hasn’t waived) and it doesn’t make sense to buy him out until next summer.
Dougie Weight also had an NMC with St. Louis a couple of years ago – and he ended up in Anaheim.
Say what you will about Nyls, but the guy is a dedicated and proud professional. If you think that getting demoted to the third line for much of the year so that he could make room for the shell of Sergei Fedorov, and then getting benched in the playoffs hasn’t upset him to the point where he’d welcome a trade, I think you’re nuts.
Maybe he sits down and has a heart-to-heart with the coaching staff and GMGM after the year and he changes his mind, but I don’t see that happening. My guess is that he gives the team a list of places he’d like to go and that the team explores trying to trade him. Then, when nobody is stupid enough to give us anything for a washed-up 3rd line center with a dubious commitment to defense, we cut him and take the cap hit.
True, but they essentially said, “accept a trade, or you’ll be in street clothes the rest of the year,” and Weight balked.
I think that Nyls agreed to be traded this year, but the Caps couldn’t find any takers. The only decent fits that I could see were Colorado and Chicago (and maybe Vancouver before they signed Sundin). Colorado went down in flames so quickly that they bailed, and neither team really had the Cap space. In hindsight, a Nylander for Laperriere, Salei/Foote trade might not have been a bad idea…
either that or they were asking for a veteran instead of a contributor or numerous prospects/draft picks. Just think, we could have moved Nylander for a few 2nd or 3rd round picks and had a Bear up here getting ready for the playoffs.
Definitely not hindsight – $4m was way much at the time.
Japers' Rink: Hockey blogging from the most powerful city in the world
Without hindsight, what did you think was the right number at the time? I had been thinking no more than $3m. I know it was a big pay cut no matter which way you looked at it, but he was coming off an old, long contract.
The problem with Feds wasn’t just with his contract number, it was partly due to the effect it had on the whole team’s salary structure. Bringing in Feds pushed Nyls to being a 3rd line center. Now, to start out the year, the Caps had Nyls, Clark, Laich/Fehr, Brads, Brash, Steckel and Gordon filling out their bottom six forwards. Depending on whether you throw Laich into that group or not, that ends up being a hell of a lot of money for grinders (all told, somewhere between 12 and 15m in terms of cap hit). That’s just nuts. As GMGM showed with Steckel, you can find bottom-six forwards just about anywhere, and for cheap.
Add that to the fact that his footspeed was suspect, even last year, and you had a recipe for the silly second-line shuffling we saw all year long.
Excellent points, and that’s where I was trying to determine what was the right number. Intangibles have value, as in the effect he has/had on the young ’uns. I definitely felt that 4 mil was going to push them to the cap, and it did. Would that extra 1 mil back have made a difference at the trade deadline? It maybe could have, but not without the contract space, but that, too is hindsight.
i was a fedorov hater for the $4 mil price tag, but that was also under the assumption that nyls could be slotted as a scoring line center, as well as the assumption that alzner was ready and able to contribute to a playoff team. life without feds this year would not have been easy, especially with the injuries on defense.
by Natty Bumppo on Apr 23, 2009 11:24 AM EDT up reply actions
Fire Bruce?
Are you crazy? I could be wrong but wasnt “the plan” to make it to the playoffs in 09 and make it deep in 10? I know we made the playoffs last year and in theory being a second place team should go at least to the second round. I just feel like we are all expecting a team that is full of youngsters (how many are under 23?) to be the redwings of the 90s or even present time. Give it time.
On another note, what did Japer say yesterday about the caps and 3+ game winning streaks? oh yeah we had plenty of them. Here is to Friday, where red will triumph over blue!
One thing this series is teaching me is how hard it is to be patient.
It takes a few times through the playoff grinder before most can finally make it. The team is very young and have a way to go in development. It’s exceedingly frustrating today because the team is under performing this series. I think most would be better with the losses if it didn’t feel tantalizingly close to wins most nights. It isn’t like they’re getting drubbed like the Wings did way back when.
But when I get over my being distraught in a week or two, and look down at the Bears and all their riches, at the roster and all their riches, at the numerous fans finally showing up to games, I’m going to be better with it. Not ok, but better with it. It just will take a bit to get to that point. It isn’t over yet, but at the same time, I’m not sure I believe in Miracles just yet.
This is pretty much exactly what I’ve been saying for weeks. Couldn’t agree more. This team needs to rid itself of some of the guys who were brought in to plug holes during the rebuild.
Let’s not forget that Ovie and Green are 23, Semin and Laich are 25, Backstrom is 21, Varlamov is 20…. This team’s average age is pushed up by a handful of guys who won’t be around next year.
Here’s to hoping for a younger, hungrier, and more talented Caps team in 2010!!!
Random thought...
…if 91, 25, 26 and 87 are gone, what about picking up the Sedins as free agents? I don’t see them wanting to leave VAN, but a Sedin-Sedin-Laich 2nd line would be a sight to behold.
by Kerry Fraser's Hairspray on Apr 23, 2009 9:13 AM EDT reply actions
aren’t they asking for $5-6mil each?
is there anyway ShaMo can take a slight pay cut as a RFA?
by ns on Apr 23, 2009 9:15 AM EDT up reply actions
He was asking for over $2 million last year. I’d assume he’s a goner. Sedin squared takes up the hole left by not resigning 91 and 25, and remember with Pothier coming back next year, that effectively negates the 25 salary.
Most creative rue-ing gets a puppy?
by Bald Pollack on Apr 23, 2009 9:20 AM EDT up reply actions
No, no, no.
They want a package deal worth approximately $12 altogether. That would essentially put us over the Cap. Also, the Sedins have some of the same tendencies as our other top-line players, such as falling back on playing a perimeter game when things get tough. Yes, I’m picking the ‘Nucks to win the Cup, but I’m doing so even despite the Sedins, not because of them.
Now, if we could somehow pick up Steve Bernier or Alex Burrows….
by D'ohboy on Apr 23, 2009 9:19 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
are we really turning our noses up at the sedin brothers (in this mythical scenario where the caps can afford them)?
come on, now. this is getting a little much. sure, the top 6 could use a little grit, but realistically each brother would be a huge upgrade on the second line.
by Natty Bumppo on Apr 23, 2009 1:20 PM EDT up reply actions
We’d have an even finesse-ier 2nd line, though, because whichever twin is the Center isn’t going to replace Backstrom and I don’t know if Laich is enough grit to be the 3rd winger on that line. But hey, it would be neat, nonetheless. We’d be the Swedest team of Russians in the league!
by DrinkingPartner on Apr 23, 2009 1:27 PM EDT up reply actions
as much as i’d like to see a true power forward causing havoc down low, my position is that flash is an AHL star forward and we haven’t had a legit second scoring line center all year. the sedins are leaving their mark on the playoffs whether you think the canucks are winning “despite them” or not. as long as players are defensively responsible (lands on BB as much as the players themselves), they don’t necessarily need this “intangible playoff grit” that’s being thrown around. secondary scoring, please.
by Natty Bumppo on Apr 23, 2009 1:34 PM EDT up reply actions
How much have you watched the Sedin’s play? I used to live in Seattle, so we got all the CBC feeds, and I used to go up there for games. They’re talented, but at times, they simply cycle around a lot without really doing anything productive with the puck or getting it to the net. Maybe I’m basing this too much on how they used to play, but that’s been the knock against them in the past.
Also, the Sedin’s aren’t secondary scorers – they’re a top-line pairing and want to be paid like it. The question here isn’t: Ovie, Semin and Backstrom + the Sedins, it’s Ovie, Semin and Backstrom OR the Sedins.
of course we can’t afford them. it just seemed there was an emerging “these guys don’t have enough grit” theme throughout the thread, and in an ideal world where the sedins can play on the caps #2 line, it strikes me as a little over-the-top to complain about their “finesse” game.
by Natty Bumppo on Apr 23, 2009 1:47 PM EDT up reply actions
We have enough skill guys. The Sedins are the last thing we need. Give me one Lucic over two Sedins anyday.
I’ve been pushing Lucic all year. That’d be freakin’ great, but we’ll never get him without giving up something valuable.
by DrinkingPartner on Apr 23, 2009 10:17 AM EDT up reply actions
Lucic isn’t going anywhere. He’s hands-down the most popular player in Boston.
However, the B’s are going to face a bit of a salary crunch this offseason. I wouldn’t mind seeing us make a run at picking up Patrice Bergeron. . .
He’s injury-prone. I personally really like his skillset, but another Pothier-esque hit and his career is done, likely.
by DrinkingPartner on Apr 23, 2009 10:23 AM EDT up reply actions
What this team needs . . .
Is found by following this link.
I wish he were a little bit younger, but he would bring exactly what the Caps currently lack. And he’d do it affordably.
Nothing wrong with wanting one of their players. Also, he’s not a total jackass like some of their guys. He plays tough, but clean.
I know.
What i want for Xmas (I mean July 1st ) is a tough and gritty top 6. If that means we don’t resign someone else, fine. But we need more grit up front on the first 2 lines.
Where am I?
I thought I was going to the Rink, but somehow I ended up on Tarik’s blog. I understand the frustration and the anger but fire Bruce, fire GM, trade Semin, bring up Aucoin, blow up half the team, etc? I thought we were better than that. After the first ten minutes, the Caps dominated last night and lost to two of the flukiest goals I’ve ever seen. There was a reason we all wanted to face Montreal and not NY and now we’re seeing it. But as least year showed, this series isn’t over because I have to believe that sooner or later pucks that hit defenseman’s sticks don’t go in and shots that hit the pipe do. I’m not being pollyannaish. I know the odds of coming back from 3-1, but they almost did it last year against a better Flyer team. When I got up this morning, the first thing I did was go online and place a nice bet on the Caps for game five. Cause that’s the only game I’m worried about right now. I’ll save my postmortems until they’re actually dead.
by b.orr4 on Apr 23, 2009 9:50 AM EDT reply actions 10 recs
Thank you. I rec’d that because damn it you make sense.
As hard as it is, I’m still holding on to hope:
I BELIEVE
Wow – dropping serious knowledge this early . I had to look that up.
by vt caps fan on Apr 23, 2009 10:30 AM EDT up reply actions
Me too…I read “Melian” and the first thing that popped into my head was the Queen of Doriath.
by Kerry Fraser's Hairspray on Apr 23, 2009 10:47 AM EDT up reply actions
Hindsight 20/20
At the very least, we can thank the Rangers for blatantly exposing our flaws:
- Not enough size on the wings. The Caps have been a perimeter team during the playoffs. No noise in front of their goalie. No garbage goals. The only semblance of this has been Laich, though let’s face it effort can only overcome so much. He’s too small.
- Too much skill, not enough balance. We have an imbalance of skill vs. muckers. Imagine if we had Keith Jones instead of Tomas Fleischmann on that 2nd line.
- Too old. Yes, we are a young team, but our old guys look really old. Fedorov and Nylander are no longer capable of playing 2nd line roles effectively.
- Depth on defense. I knew this series was over with Brian Engblom said John Erskine was our best defenseman.
It’s now up to GM to fix these mistakes. All the other pieces are in place for a Detroit-like run.
If only we didn’t have Fedorov/Nylander’s salaries. We could’ve picked up a Guerin at the trade deadline (and be cruising into the 2nd round right about now). That’s on GM.
It’s now up to GM to fix these mistakes
Wrong. It’s now time to win Game 5.
Japers' Rink: Hockey blogging from the most powerful city in the world
True, but they’ll just be delaying the inevitable. I know that anything can happen if they can just get it to game 7. We saw that last year – we were one decent call from winning that series. But somehow, I don’t see the same heart/spark in this year’s edition. Don’t really know where it went.
I get the feeling that, unless the doctors straight-up bar him from playing, Clark will suit up for game 5.
I agree with a lot of what you said but I wanted to point out:
- Engblom said Erskine’s been the best defenseman this series and, to his credit, Erskine has been very good.
- The Capitals have size on the wings. A lot of it. They don’t utilize the size like that could/should, but they have it.
you must be joking right? Kozlov is one of the best, if not THE best, at protecting the puck while in the offensive zone. Backs is quickly catching up, but if you can name 3 players aside from Jagr that are better at holding on to the puck against 1,2 or 3 defenders I’d love to hear it.
Maybe Kozlov doesn’t hit like many players his size do, but he sure as hell uses his size to his advantage.
one other thing we’re missing is a bit of crazy. I’m not talking Avery type of stupid crazy, but someone with a little more agitation to his game.
Della Rovere is the player we need today, if he were only 3 years older. But in 3 years, man. I’m giddy to think what this team could be.
by DrinkingPartner on Apr 23, 2009 10:24 AM EDT up reply actions
After watching him in the WJC, I think he needs to tone it down a bit, but yeah, he’s got that potential.
I only saw the WJC final game, so my sample size is small, but I, at least, didn’t think he reached Avery-level crazy. And he scored in that game, didn’t he?
by DrinkingPartner on Apr 23, 2009 10:29 AM EDT up reply actions
He was essentially Sean Avery on crack during the US-Canada game. He was completely lucky that the refs didn’t give him a game misconduct on at least two occasions. The only reason they didn’t was because the refs were godawful in that game. They missed everything he did behind the play.
Three things from that game stood out: 1) he cross-checked Kevin Shattenkirk from behind into the boards head-first, but only got a minor – it was clearly a 5/10-level foul. 2) After the play was clearly over, he ran one of the US players by his bench, with no foul called. 3) After Canada scored a goal, one of the Canadian players was clipped by a US stick on his way back to the bench for the celebration. In response, DR cold-cocked James van Riemsdyk from behind into the padded stanchion next to the bench, referees called nothing, probably should have been a game misconduct, at least.
Also, I was watching on a Canadian (TSN) feed, and even those blatant homers guys thought he was getting away with murder.
I think SDR has potential, but the guy is a long way away from contributing on this team. Not to mention, can he do anything more at the NHL level than take penalties?
I want a player like that, I’m not sure that he is the guy.
I want Upshall as heretical as it might be to ask for it.
You hate the Kamloops Blazers too? :)
Seriously, he’s not the chief prick from Philly. That’s Hartnell. Freaking honkey-ginger-jheri-curl-mullet-having muthaf——-
certainly :)
I wouldn’t mind Hartnell either. I know he is a bonehead, but he plays the game this team misses.
Hartnell or Upshall? Upshall’s a little smaller, but I think he’s a better player overall.
by DrinkingPartner on Apr 23, 2009 11:18 AM EDT up reply actions
About SDR, I don’t think he’s as far away as it might seem. Playing an energy-line role really doesn’t require a heck of a lot of hockey knowledge. If SDR can keep up with the game physically and speed-wise, I think he could contribute within a year or so. There are a lot of guys (Lucic comes to mind) who make it up early because that role masks their youthful shortcomings.
I think the same thing goes for Taylor – also, coming out of London, he’ll be way more developed as a player.
I still don’t think he is a guy you can honestly pencil in the lineup soon.
He doesn’t score a ton in Juniors. Yeah, he fights and stirs it up, but lets see him score a bit in the AHL first.
SDR scored 27/24/51 on an offensively-challenged Barrie Colts team in 54 games. He’s not useless offensively. Taylor put up 37-30-67 in 64 games for a stacked London Knights team. Both of those numbers will drop quite a bit, but I think they’ll both be adequate 3rd/4th liners at some point.
not sure he’s going to be much of a scrapper here. He has the heart, but I think he’s more Louis Robitaille than Donald Brashear.
Um, have you SEEN his fights on Youtube??? I’d suggest you go watch those, then reassess.
I’m telling you, Jordin Tootoo with hands and an extra couple inches/15-20lbs.
he looks ok fighting Junior kids.
Kids in juniors do not equal fighting success in the NHL.
A lot of kids can scrap in Juniors but can’t cut it here in the bigs.
Is he going to be Brashear? No. Do we need another Brashear? No.
Philly does just fine with Cote, and he’s not a heavyweight.
SDR would be a fair bit better than Bradley, and that’s really all he needs to do.
I still wonder whether he would beat Bradley in a clean fight.
I know Bradley’s a punching bag in the NHL, but he’s also got a decent number of scraps to his name.
The things that impress me about Delly as a fighter/hitter are his skating ability/balance, and his strength on his skates. He doesn’t just hit people, he freaking demolishes them. He has a lower center of gravity, so he’s tough to knock off balance. He’d lose some range to guys like Brads, but IIRC Tootoo (who’s even smaller than Delly) beat the crap out of Bradley this year.
Are we counting the headbutt at the beginning? I don’t think that’s a fair assessment of Bradley’s balance, otherwise.
by DrinkingPartner on Apr 23, 2009 1:28 PM EDT up reply actions
it’s borderline impossible to evaluate guys based on one or two fights.
Realize, I know Bradley is not a great fighter. But I still think SDR has a way to go before he is ready to fight most NHL level fighters. Period.
It isn’t like he is going to be scrapping with a ton of guys either. He isn’t a heavy. He’s barely a middle (he probably isn’t).
He is Carcillo’s size, and yes, he does have the attitude where he can probably adapt quick. But he needs significant experience dealing with guys bigger and stronger than him before a fair assessment can be made.
In my opinion, having seen all of his youtube fights, and talked to people who I relatively trust who have seen him scrap live (I’ve got relatives who live in Barrie who if anything are biased for him) who feel he needs a good bit of seasoning in the AHL and the weight room before he’s ready. Maybe he proves everyone wrong, but I doubt it.
To be fair, he could gain 30 lbs. in 3 or 4 years.
by DrinkingPartner on Apr 23, 2009 2:31 PM EDT up reply actions
Fair to give Theodore another start...
I know that my “name” suggests bias, but I am just asking? Varlamov played outstanding, but gave up a bad goal to lose game 4? The loss is not on him, but nonetheless perhaps, Theodore deserves a chance to redeem himself. Additionally, starting Theodore would perhaps allow Varlamov to not deal with potential playoff disappointment like Price did last year and then suffer profoundly due to that……?
Not sure it really matters at this point. I can see value in allowing Theo to come back and steal one – thereby giving him something to build on for next year. However, what if they do start him and then the VC fans boo him when he’s announced? What if he implodes?
I think Varlamov is a little more settled than Price (who seems a little like a deer in the headlights at times). I also think that Price’s issues are more to do with the fact that he plays in Montreal, with all the attendant pressures that brings, rather than anything that happened last year.
well this is the perfect Theodore scenario where everyone has been against him, and he comes through the challenge. He prides himself in this, and if nothing else, again, you are protecting Varlamov and also perhaps showing some faith in Theodore so that you don’t just waste him for next year and his 4.5 million cap, or a 2.5 million cap hit if you release him i think, which you would have to i think if he doesn’t play at all anymore….
His cap hit would be 1.5 if he were bought out. But salary should never play a role in depth chart decisions.
Salary plays a part in every single personnel decision when there is: a) a ceiling, and b) you are up against it.
If you've read this far...seek help.
by ThePeerless on Apr 23, 2009 11:56 AM EDT up reply actions
Yes, but I would personnel and depth chart decisions in two different categories. For example, Theo’s 4.5M hit is far, far too big for a backup and he should be moved if he can be. But if he can’t I don’t think it would make sense to say “Well he’s got that big contract, so we should start him”.
you’ll get no argument from me on that one.
If you've read this far...seek help.
by ThePeerless on Apr 23, 2009 12:04 PM EDT up reply actions
Yes. Start Theo. Maybe he steals one (or two, or three).
I’d also bench Feds for Nylander. Gives us a better option on the PP. Not saying a great option, but Feds added nothing to the PP when he came in for Flash. At least Nyles won’t bobble the puck all night long.
Umm…no.
Theo is done. Caps gave him a whole season and he still never took control as a number one starter. If Johnson had not been hurt I’m convinced he would have been the game 1 starter. Theo’s not stealing anything but money.
Nylander for Feds??? Feds is not a big help right now, but in comparison to Nyles he’s an all-star at this point. At least Feds attempts to create scoring opportunities on occasion. I’m done watching Nyles do figure 8’s and then turning the puck over.
I realize people think that by somehow shaking up the lineup something magical will happen maybe. It won’t.
by Carl Putnam on Apr 23, 2009 11:03 AM EDT up reply actions
Yup
I am all for keeping the lineup the same except Laich on the PP over Flash.
I thought Bruce went to the 8-19-28 line kind of early.
I also thought it was interesting that as soon as Kozlov and AO were separated Kozlov started playing really well. I would have like to seen that line stay together for a little longer but when Feds is playing like he was, I guess Bruce thought he had no choice.
" 60 percent of the time...it works everytime"
Theo is done
There is perhaps the $64,000 question for the summer (or the $4.5 million one). What to do with Theodore. The future appears to have arrived for Simeon Varlamov, who appears to be in the postion of having to play himself out of the opening night starting lineup for the Caps next year. For all the success Chicago had in keeping a big-bucks backup in their back pocket all year, Theodore is not Nikolai Khabibulin. JT as a backup or as an insurance policy is expensive.
If you've read this far...seek help.
by ThePeerless on Apr 23, 2009 11:52 AM EDT up reply actions
From a dollars perspective, he’d be in the same boat as Fernandez (last year of an expiring deal). If 40 and 30 push the issue in camp to the point where a buyout/waiver exposure is possible, hooray, but I think barring a slightly above average deal, he returns next year.
Most creative rue-ing gets a puppy?
by Bald Pollack on Apr 23, 2009 11:58 AM EDT up reply actions
I like Neuvirth, too, but you think he’d push Theo out of the way?
by DrinkingPartner on Apr 23, 2009 12:05 PM EDT up reply actions
Ask me again in 4 months or so.
I think they’re be fine with the tandem they have now, but I’d have to think most of camp will be trying to determine how much progress Neuvirth’s made, and how much of the workload Varlamov can take on.
For as much as people are trepidatious with Theodore in net, having two 21 year olds in there is a roll of the dice.
Most creative rue-ing gets a puppy?
by Bald Pollack on Apr 23, 2009 1:40 PM EDT up reply actions
If Theodore is moved, I’d like to see Johnson re-signed for 1 year for a similar salary to this year’s in order to serve as the veteran backup type.
by Kerry Fraser's Hairspray on Apr 23, 2009 1:51 PM EDT up reply actions
Yes, and he’s nowhere near as good an insurance policy than Nik was for the Hawks. Problem is who is going to take him off caps hands. Caps would probably have to eat majority on contract to move him. Same for Nyles.
by Carl Putnam on Apr 23, 2009 12:11 PM EDT up reply actions
The team plays with temerity with Theo in goal. That’s the way they played all year. The Caps aren’t going to win 2-1 or 1-0.
But they can win 5-4, 4-3. Even against Lundquist.
They score a load and give up a load. Why stop doing that in the play-offs?
by Stonewarden on Apr 23, 2009 12:02 PM EDT up reply actions
Besides that one goal, Varly has played great. He has earned another start IMO and if Bruce plays Theo and he plays awful- everyone will and should blame Bruce for playing him.
I understand about giving Theo some confidence but I don’t think it’s enough of a reason to start him again.
" 60 percent of the time...it works everytime"
Caps have outscored the Rangers 8-7 in the series
Caps powerplay is 18.2% vs 11.1% for the Rangers
PK is 88.9% Caps vs 81.8% Rangers
Faceoff 52.5% vs 47.5%
Shots/Game 37.2 vs 24.8
Penalties taken: 19 vs 25
Its hard to find ANY stat where the Rangers are outperforming or to indicate that the series is over. I’m holding out hope, and holding out on offseason talk till the Caps prove me wrong.
by Stormblue on Apr 23, 2009 11:05 AM EDT reply actions 1 recs
Agreed. Why do I have hope?
Of course I feel hope because I am a Caps fan. But consider this:
Last year the Caps were outplayed pretty much games 1-4. Not totally but pretty much. Philly ( biron aside) was a much better team then this years Rangers and we still took it to game 7.
There is no doubt many bounces have gone the Rangers way- the pipes last night, the two goals last night. They had the benefit of a really bad performance by Theo to win game 1. They somehow clung onto a 1-0 lead to win Game 2. Will they continue to get these bounces?
Can Hank steal a third game? Probably but maybe not.
The Caps play their best with their backs against the wall. They will be play every game knowing " if we lose, we are done" That should spark some intensity hopefully.
The Caps have been in every game to the VERY end-they weren’t last year with Philly.
Ovechkin has broken through. Will this start something for him?
2/3 possible games are at home.
For me, it’s all about getting a lead , even if it’s 1-0. They have a goalie that can bail them out for the most part and the Rangers have trouble scoring.
Just some random thoughts. It may not mean anything but I sure hope it does :)
" 60 percent of the time...it works everytime"
Interesting. I don’t think this has been said for years:
They have a goalie that can bail them out for the most part
Amazing.
by DrinkingPartner on Apr 23, 2009 11:18 AM EDT up reply actions
The most frustrating part of last night’s game is that I can’t recall the Rangers have any legitimate, first-rate scoring opportunities. Their first goal was off a crazy bounce. Their second goal followed a mistake on a routine play by our otherwise stellar goaltender. We outplayed them for two periods. Simple as that. And yet we could not get the job done.
That said, we can not continue to expect shutouts from Varlamov. We need to get the puck in the net (obviously). We should not have to adjust our game to the Rangers; the Rangers should have to adjust their game to us! Time for some run-and-gun hockey.
The most frustrating part of last night’s game is that I can’t recall the Rangers have any legitimate, first-rate scoring opportunities
I guess that’s all in definition. Most of the first period was spent in their offensive zone…completely and totally outplaying the Caps in every facet of the game.
Hmm. The Caps put themselves in a situation where the Rangers could play mediocre hockey and still win the series. . . Where have I heard that before? :)
I wasn’t trying to be negative yesterday, I was just telling it how I saw it. Let’s all keep our heads up. This isn’t how we wanted to go out this year, to be sure, but this was still a pretty sweet season, and there are better ones still to come.
Also, I agree, if we’re going to go down, let’s go down guns blazing in a 7-5 game!!!
this was still a pretty sweet season
Not to give offense, but I absolutely disagree with this statement. If the Caps earn 108 standings points and get knocked out in the first round against a team to which they did not lose a hockey game in the regular season (losing only in the evening gown competition), then I can’t help think that the regular season was in many respects a fraud.
If you've read this far...seek help.
by ThePeerless on Apr 23, 2009 11:55 AM EDT up reply actions 2 recs
Hey, Cheerless, buck up. :)
You got to watch Green set an impressive record and possibly earn himself a Norris Trophy. You got to see Ovie go over 50 again. You got to see Nick Backstrom clearly demonstrate that he’s the next Forsberg. You got to see the emergence of several young players who will be contributors to this team for a long time (Alzner, Varlamov). You got to see a bunch of guys from Hershey step-up when injuries hit and keep the team afloat. You got to see Alex Semin finally develop into a dangerous two-way player (for this reason alone, this season was a success). You got to see Brooks Laich finally establish himself as a key cog/leader on this team going forward.
And you got to see one of the most amazing goals that I have ever seen in my life. I smiled for a week after watching that goal.
Yes, this season isn’t going to end with the Cup parading down Pennsylvania Ave, but that doesn’t mean it was a total disappointment, either.
But, and I keep coming back to this, have I watched what amounts to the construction of the “Washington Senators?” Ottawa built an impressive array of talent with the likes of Heatley, Spezza, and Alfredsson — arguable the best top line in all of hockey for several years. They were an offense-oriented team that had iff y goaltending and no grit. And they got pounded (Gary Roberts, take a bow) in the playoffs.
Are the Caps becoming that team?
If you've read this far...seek help.
I think we’ve got a long way to go before we reach that level of futility. At least, with this iteration of the Caps. I realize that 35 years is a long freaking time.
We need to give it some time. If GMGM can’t make some moves to address the team’s obvious shortcomings this summer, then I’ll be grumpy as hell, but for now, I’m going to look forward to a better year ahead.
agreed.
It’s still a failure in my eyes. Any year you don’t improve significantly or make it deep in the playoffs, you’re not accomplishing your goals.
Whoa, “don’t improve significantly?”
Dude, did we watch the same season? Are you just ignoring everything the Caps did prior to February of last year?
Let’s not forget, the Caps were just a little over .500 for the first month or so under Boudreau. They didn’t really turn it on until after the all-star break.
they still made the playoffs and ended up going out in the first round.
They played at a similar clip from the time Bruce took over until now. If anything, their taking off nights probably has ended up in some regression.
Forest-trees. Losing in the first round is disappointing, but I think that there were enough positive developments at the individual level to mark this season down as an overall success.
The next step is to take those individual successes and put them together.
on an individual level, the team was very successful.
Players grew up. Some got older. A lot got better. A lot proved they weren’t flukes.
On a ticketing standpoint, and a fan base standpoint, the team did well.
On a points level, the team did better.
But, if you’re trying to tell me that this team didn’t need to take the next step (and that’s winning a playoff round) to be considered better than last years, then I’m going to just have to disagree. We’ve made the playoffs twice now. Moving on beyond the first round is the goal. Hell, the Cup is the goal. I think most would settle for at least a round or two at this point.
Personally, I think making the playoffs was a total fluke last year. So I’m not that disappointed by the result this year. I’ve also been saying that I thought the Caps were in for a first-round exit for some time, so I’m not terribly shocked now that it is inevitable.
Ah, ah. Nothing’s inevitable. These are the cardiac Caps for a reason. If they win tomorrow, I think they push 7. If they don’t, they don’t, but I think they continue if they can adapt and come out with a WIn tomorrow.
by DrinkingPartner on Apr 23, 2009 2:25 PM EDT up reply actions
Let’s not forget, this is a team that the Caps did not lose to in regulation in four games this year.
Now, they have lost three of four games in regulation.
The Caps did not change players, and there isn’t any obvious evidence of health problems.
So…what changed?
The Rangers’ roster did, but frankly, I think that overrated. I’m not seeing Derek Morris or Nik Antropov as game-changers, and Sean Avery has been a liability.
The Rangers changed coaches, but Stan Fischler’s conclusion that John Tortorella is a better coach than Bruce Boudreau aside, Tortorella hasn’t had a lot of playoff success outside of that Cup year in Tampa.
Henrik Lundqvist had horrible stats against the Caps in the regular season (1-1-1, 3.57, 882). But now, he is a 4×6 wall of stone. And therein lies a hint at the difference. It isn’t the players, the coaches, the goalies…it’s the game.
Regular season hockey and playoff hockey might as well be different sports. The Caps are built, it seems, for the former, not the latter. And that’s not on the players, it isn’t even necessarily on the coach (why I don’t see Boudreau in any trouble any time soon) — it is on player evaluation, and specifically, player acquisition. The Caps have too many of the same player at too many positions (skill wingers, puck moving defensemen) and not enough — just the sort you need for the playoffs, it turns out — at others.
If you've read this far...seek help.
My Guess?
2 things:
There were those posts towards the end of the season about how the caps handled a “play off team” vs a “non-play off team”. Now that we’re in the play offs, the rangers are 7 instead of 4 so they are just a road bump. We dropped two to that and then leaned on Varly after he saved em in game 3.
They also were looking forward to the play offs for far too long and haven’t been playing anything one game at a time for a while.
I agree with what you’re saying, but I think we should identify why GMGM acquired these players, because it will make us all feel a little better.
For me, the Caps’ struggles started in the summer of ‘06 when they picked up Nylander, Kozlov and Poti. Between them, those guys made $10.875m this year, and produced 25 goals, 62 assists and 87 points. That’s less production that Backstrom put up by himself.
However, look at why we picked up those players – to accelerate a rebuilding process and get the team back into the playoffs. Ted and GMGM wanted to do that for a host of reasons, (money, getting fans in the seats, keeping Ovie in town). None of those three guys has a reputation as a great playoff performer, and all of them were available for damn good reasons, namely, they had worn out their welcomes doing the same crap that we have watched them do the last few years. Nylander has always been a defensive liability. Kozlov has always been a frustratingly talented player who, despite his size, plays like a candyass and disappears completely for weeks at a time. Poti has always lacked a physical edge and has been known throughout his career as a guy who makes crucial errors at the worst possible time.
The Caps miraculously made the playoffs last year, but got robbed beaten by the refs Flyers. The Caps then re-signed Feds and thought they’d be ready for a long run in the playoffs this year. The problem is, those three guys are still here, and none of them has changed one iota.
The Caps performance over the last couple of years has been a bit of a trick illusion. The rebuild was artificially accelerated, but like everything in life, you can’t rush things without consequences. Personally, I think the Caps would have been better served by giving some of their younger players more opportunities. I also think this is the path that GMGM will now be forced able to take.
by D'ohboy on Apr 23, 2009 12:13 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
And that’s not on the players, it isn’t even necessarily on the coach
I could not disagree more strenuously. While you can fault the GM retrospectively on the acquisitions of Nyls and Koz, and the glaring gunshyness of March 4, these moves (or lack thereof) have no bearing on how this team is “playing” right now. This unmotivated mess is squarely on Bruce, the coaching staff, and the players. There is no want-it until it’s too late, and one can find fault that BB’s ‘players-coach’ mentality does not punish effectively enough. And the Flash love affair has become embarrassing.
from the house that Red Jesus built
by bigonetimer on Apr 23, 2009 12:14 PM EDT up reply actions
OK…how do you punish in this instance? Sit Fleischmann? Sit Fedorov? Sit Kozlov? These are guys who are playing their game. Unfortunately, it isn’t a game that seems well adapted at this point to doing the mucking and grinding necessary to get the garbage goals the Caps haven’t seen in this series. I don’t have a problem with any of these players’ performances, because frankly, they aren’t appreciably different from their regular season performances. What I don’t expect is for any of them to suddenly morph into crease monsters — it isn’t the game they play, and it isn’t in the capacity of this coach or any coach to tease talents out of players that those players don’t have to start with.
But I do agree with the inordinate number of opportunities being given to Fleischmann in a lot of situations that don’t seem merited based on his production.
If you've read this far...seek help.
by ThePeerless on Apr 23, 2009 12:22 PM EDT up reply actions
I’m hopeful in the long run, age will at least give some players a better light on what they have to do to pay the price.
While you can only dress up this team and try and get them to do as much as you can without completely overhauling the roster, I do think if you make an attitude change at the top, some alteration of how players play could be made.
No, you can’t make Flash into a power forward. No, Erskine’s never going to be an offensive monster. But if you add some more sand paper to the system and emphasize driving the net from DAY 1, some of it can and will filter into their persona as a team.
I don’t think you fault McPhee for any of those moves. The Caps went and picked up players at positions of need. Kozlov has worked out, Poti has worked out, Nylander worked out in the system he was signed to play in. And as for the trade deadline, what would you have had McPhee do differently?
I disagree. A lot. Even at the time, I thought those moves were dangerously shortsighted. I remember when I saw that the Caps had acquired Nylander, Kozlov and Poti. My girlfriend at the time asked, “isn’t this good news,” and I replied, “not really.”
When pressed, I said that I thought they’d make us better in the short run, but that none of them would be on our next Stanley Cup team, and I stand by that.
Building a Stanley Cup team is similar to what Michaelangelo said about sculpting. Start with the block of stone, then remove everything unnecessary.
I think you may be right about who’s on a Cup-run team, but I also think those were holes that needed to be plugged and were plugged effectively, the exception being Nylander who has become an albatross but was signed to play in a different system, in which he did well.
Nyls was ok in Hanlon’s system, but he was also getting 1st line/PP time, so that helped his cause.
When your ship’s taking water, you plug the holes with whatever comes to hand, but when you get back to port, you tear those plugs out and replace them with sturdy new planks.
(Sorry, I just watched “Das Boot” last night.)
You would have loved the Fanpost I started and then abandoned last night. I was going to compare this Capitals season/post-season to Rick Atkinson’s book “An Army at Dawn” about OPERATION TORCH in WWII. One of the main storylines from the book was that the US Army had to clear out a crapload of dead wood officers once the actual fighting started, and replace them with younger, more competent leaders. I saw some direct parallels with this team.
Sadly, my day/night of heavy drinking caught up to me and I began to think the whole thing was a little too esoteric, even for this crowd of eggheads, so I dropped it.
I would venture that none of those three have been remotely as good as advertised, and I’ll stand by picking up Bill Guerin at the deadline as the piece I thought we really lacked, but those arguments stray from the point. McPhee crafted a team record setting, 50 win club. The collapse (to date) belongs to the coaches and the team. The Rangers have been better down the middle in 3 of the 4 games and their D 1-6 has been better than ours, and Bruce has been outmaneuvered by ol’ Torts so far.
from the house that Red Jesus built
You can look at this one of two ways in my opinion: Kozlov, Nyls and Poti did their jobs because the Caps have made the playoffs two years in a row after a long string of abject futility.
Or you can note that the underperform their contracts and that their presence prevented the Caps from acquiring the necessary players to excel in the playoffs.
Both are true, and not mutually exclusive.
I tend to agree. You don’t praise Keith Aucoin or Eric Fehr’s forechecking and then not sufficiently reward them down the stretch and in the playoffs. You don’t stress crashing the net and then not put Laich out on the PP in crunch time. An effective coaching staff makes roster decisions based on performance and carves out the team in the image and how they want the team to play. What we saw down the stretch was that coasting and getting by on the strength of the first PP unit was deemed acceptable by the coaching staff. It was just a matter of time before that complacency cost them.
In the unlikely story that is the capitals this year there has never been anything false about hope.
What is the percentage chance that they would come back from 4-0 on December 23 and win? Or the chance Mike Green would score in 8 straight games? or the chance Ovechkin scores 50 goal again?
This team has defied the odds all year and why wouldn’t they do that now?
It is certainly possible. As I wrote over in that thing I do, one could argue that the Caps have “outplayed” the Rangers in all four games (acknowleding that wins aren’t based on “outplaying” an opponent). The Caps have the skill to win three in a row…against this team. As Ron White would put it, “I’ve seen them do it.” This year.
But this isn’t the regular season, either. It’s a whole other animal, and “skill” is but one piece. The Caps have it in spades. They lack certain other essentials, it would appear, to make one comfortable about their prospects.
If you've read this far...seek help.
by ThePeerless on Apr 23, 2009 12:08 PM EDT up reply actions
When he stepped onto the ice last night, first two things he did: lazy give away followed by an icing call.
Green Nominated for Norris officially.
Not a shock. But news anyway.
" 60 percent of the time...it works everytime"
From Tarik
“It’s definitely a big honor and I’m very proud,” Green said. “It’s been a long season and to be rewarded like that is pretty special. I never really thought that [this] would ever happen. But here it is.”
“But like I said, I’m worried about tomorrow,” he added. “So I apologize for my answer.”
" 60 percent of the time...it works everytime"
I’ve sat on the sidelines for a while but here’s my take. I’ve pretty much arrived at the conclusion that it probably be better for the Caps to lose in the first round as opposed to squeaking out a series win and losing in a later round. That might force them to address the deeper problem which in my mind, is a lack of depth in the character and heart department. Ovie’s got it. Backstrom, Laich, Erskine and a few others. But, being the better team on paper means nothing when you’re playing for something as important as the Stanley Cup. I’ve cringed every time I see Kozlov, Flash, Nylander (before he was benched), Federov, Poti etc. not finish a check, not take a hit to make a play, not go the net hard (anybody see Crosby’s goal the other night? – now that’s changing your game for the playoffs). There’s just no heart there. I don’t care what your game is in the regular season. Playing physical and with disregard for your personal well-being has to be everyone’s game in the playoffs. It takes a four line effort to win in the playoffs and you can never hide from your lack of intensity. So, no matter where you stick those guys, they’re going to minimize the impact that the other players can have on a game. I think Erskine is a perfect example of a role player/5th or 6th defensemen that has played beyond his boundries, stepped up his game, or whatever you want to call it. If you don’t get that from 18 skaters and a goalie, your not going to win enough games to get the cup. You might get out of one series, maybe two depending on your draw and if the other team suffers from the same ailments, but never to the end. I would trade a chunk of that talent for more character and heart any day of the week.
by tanarpeti on Apr 23, 2009 12:59 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
I disagree
If the Capitals manage to win this series I will really like their chances the rest of the way. It will take some great playing to get them out of the first round, but it’s possible.
Sorry, but I don’t think you’ve been watching enough of the other series then. Go watch some of the Bruins’ games against Montreal and then tell me that you really see the Caps beating them. They are a team with a goalie that’s as good or better than Lundqvist and an offense that’s even better than ours.
I'm the eternal optimist
If their game improves to the point they beat the rangers they’ll obviously have figured something out and be playing pretty good. They’ve beaten Boston before.
The Bruins were playing the Canadiens who, lets face it, stunk. We probably would have swept them.
IIRC, you mentioned last night that you’re not old enough to hit the bars yet. You’ll get that optimism beaten out of you at some point. ;)
JK, don’t lose that. Life on the other side can be a stark and cold place.
The Caps also dominated the Rags in the regular season, and that resulted in . . . ? The Caps got lucky in a couple of games vs. the B’s. In a 7-game series, Chara would slow down Ovie enough to stop us.
No worries. Just go watch the Bruins, Red Wings and Canucks. Watch how they close off opportunities, how they win all the little battles during the game, how they go to the net with authority. Notice how, if they give up a goal, they come right back and score, and if they get a lead, they just keep adding to it.
These are the things that the Caps need to learn.
Overreacting
I know it’s the day after another tough loss, and somewhere between a day and a week away from losing a series we thought we should win, but doncha think most here are overreacting.
1) This club is young and on the rise. If anything, their play and ending #2 in the East should have come as a pleasant surprise. Amazing how quickly we forget our recent past and start expecting a SC.
2) Semin created the second most goals per game in the entire league behind AO. No way you get fair value in trade for a guy like that. Stop dumping on him b/c you find some nits to pick.
3) BB absolutely turned this club around from one that was in last place, to one that screamed to playoff birth last year to one that captured #2 in the East with below average goaltending (far and away the most valuable position) and a fair number of geezers getting a lot of ice time. Do we have to be the cliched fans and start asking to dump the coach all the time. Only one team and one coach is going to win it all. Should the rest be fired?
4) #2 vs. #7 has been a 50/50 split in recent years. The Caps have lost three games by three goals combined. Overall it’s 8 goals apiece. We’ve let in some soft ones. They’ve let in none. That’s the difference. Period.
5) Grit and Character sound like the boyfriends of Mystique and Aura. (ht Schilling)
6) Our roster isn’t perfect? I’m shocked!
7) We should be in this for the long haul. I sure hope GMGM, BB and Leonsis are. Being in it for the long haul means you don’t make dramatic departures from a plan that’s clearly working just because you come out on the tough luck end of losing a series.
8) I don’t see anyone loafing out there for the Caps or failing to work hard. I see some guys who don’t have a top gear anymore (Feds, Kozlov), I see some guys who are what they’ve always been (Fleischmann), I see some wonderfully gifted players among the best our club has ever had who haven’t quite put it all together in this their second playoffs ever (AO, Semin, Backs), I see one rook playing out of his mind but for one awful play and who will be a stalwart for years to come (Varly) and I see one guy who is clearly playing below his ability for reasons unknown (Green).
9) The difference between winning and losing is tiny. Talent is pretty evenly distributed. The SC runner ups barely made it back to the playoffs this year, despite having 2 of the best 5 forwards in the entire league on their team. It ain’t easy to win frequently!
10) This is the most exciting caps team ever built. Lets give them, the coaches, the FO and the owners their due. Lets enjoy the team this year and for the next ten. We have more young talent on the way. The owner and GM are not afraid to sign expensive old guys if they think they can help. Times are good. The glass is way more than half full. Rock the Red.
by CarlosLA on Apr 23, 2009 1:14 PM EDT reply actions 2 recs
I would say that you have to choose between either Point 5 or Point 9. I agree with your statement that the difference between winning and losing is tiny. And in my opinion, that difference is heart and character. The team with more of it will find a way to win the series when you play the best of 7.
So clarify for me. For example, when the puck popped out of Varly’s glove, would Heart have kept it in or would that have been Character.
Or more to the point: show me the predictive power of Heart and Character. Who has it? What is your prediction about that person or team?
Talent has predictive power. I can predict with great degree of confidence that barring catastrophic injury, any team whose top four players are as good as AO, Semin, Backs and Green — if that team gets even league average goal tending — that team will be playoff and, yes, SC competitive every single year for the next 10 years.
Heart, Character, Grit etc., these are just undefined abstractions thrown around ex poste to give the semblance of coherence to what are really just an aggregation of random, sometimes mathematically improbable outcomes.
by CarlosLA on Apr 23, 2009 1:31 PM EDT up reply actions 2 recs
count me in carlos’ camp. seems ted is in carlos’ camp as well, from his post this AM.
by Natty Bumppo on Apr 23, 2009 1:40 PM EDT up reply actions
Not to be too snarky but can you clarify how talent would have kept the puck in? It seems to me that Varly has plenty of “talent”. Unless I’m missing something, talent isn’t any more measurable as a quality than heart or character. I think we only disagree on which immearurable trait is more important come playoff time. You choose talent. I choose heart and character. The degree of one to trump another is what makes it fun to watch. In four games, I think that while holding an edge in talent, the Caps have failed to beat a lesser team three times. I’m saying the reason for losing three of four to this point is a lack of heart and character from top to bottom. As I said originally, some players have it in spades on this team but they are held back because others don’t. Again, it’s not the top four forwards and average goaltending that win or even come close to winning. It’s the rest of the team. No matter how good they are, counting on four players (like the caps pretty much did in the regular season) is going to lead to disappointment every year.
I just reread an should clarify. You stated that talent was predictive, a little different than measurable but I still think my point holds. After all, aren’t professional sports littered with “talented” individuals that never lived up to their expectations? If talent was the only predictive quality, I think it would be far more rare.
Agree. I’d only quibble with a couple of things.
1) The “plan working” part. I think this team went off-plan last year and it cost them. I’d like to see them get back to building through youth, then fill-in during the season when flaws become obvious. The decision to re-sign Feds maxed us out and then we couldn’t add the pieces we needed at the deadline.
2) The difference between winning and losing is not always tiny, and nor is the skill/talent disparity. The good teams (Bruins, Red Wings, Canucks) have, for the most part, dispatched with their inferior opponents. Luck definitely plays a role, and some games can be coin flips, but the great teams find a way of keeping themselves out of those situations to the largest possible degree.
"nor is the skill/talent disparity"
I’ll grant you part of this, but I’ll refine and say the impact of the skill/talent disparity is muted by the structure of the game. The hardest thing to do is score goals. To oversimplify, that’s because the goal is small relative to the goal keeper and the skills of the players. While it might be a stretch to imagine a version of hockey where scoring happens on 50% of possessions (as in basketball), it’s not terribly difficult to imagine a version where it happens at a much higher rate than it currently does (as in lacrosse).
The Caps are clearly significantly more talented than the Rags in the aggregate. However, the significant advantage the Rags enjoy in goaltending has disproportionate impact in re-leveling the disparity. Another way to put this is that the five most valuable players in the league are all goaltenders. Every year. Provided by “most valuable” one means, making the largest contribution to scoring differential which is the best predictor of wins.
This leads to the one thing the Caps absolutely must do over the coming years: dramatically improve their goaltending. I’m not qualified to say if Varly is that guy or not, and if not whether Neuvirth is. I can say that Theo is part of the problem and hence doesn’t have a meaningful role to play in pushing this club to a SC.
Agreed. However, I think you’re giving slightly short shrift to the role played by defensemen, or the role played by the entire team/defensive system. For me, this is the crux of the argument about Brodeur. I’ve always been of the belief that’s he’s very talented, but that it’s a synergistic relationship between him and the defensive system of the Devils.
On a similar note, who do you think is more responsible for the Bruins’ ability to keep the puck out of the net: Chara, Thomas, or Julien?
Perhaps we can’t always separate those out into individually analyzable units. That’s one reason that analyzing hockey statistically is so much more difficult than baseball. However, like analyzing defense vs. pitching in baseball, I think we can make attempts to discern what the agent behind any particular action/result is.
I order to bring this back down from the ridiculously meta-level, I think the Caps need to improve their defense (more mobile, please), their goaltending (Varly), and their two-way play from their forwards (ditch Feds and Nyls, replace with centers who can/will play defense).
i’m guessing a deadline addition isn’t a longterm fix, and therefore isn’t part of the longterm plan. feds might have been a mistake, but his was only a one-year deal. i don’t think investing one year in a veteran that GMGM belives can put the team in a position to win is deviating from the plan.
by Natty Bumppo on Apr 23, 2009 1:42 PM EDT up reply actions
Yeah, I probably should have been more clear – I see Feds as a deviation from the plan. One that cost us our roster/salary cap flexibility this year.
but ONLY this year. the plan still stands. build a core and add key veterans to augment that core. fedorov was supposed to be the same player that gave the team a boost in 2008. the only reason fedorov was a deviation from the plan (in my eyes) is that he didn’t perform up to expectations. that deadline salary cap money wouldn’t have been as necessary if a second line of semin, feds and laich had been clicking.
by Natty Bumppo on Apr 23, 2009 1:52 PM EDT up reply actions
I think the Caps could have really used a gritty forward with skill/experience (i.e., Laperriere), and a solid defensive defenseman with experience (drawing a bit of a blank here, maybe Staios, or Kuba?).
sounds like clark and first-half-of-the-season poti. the team is still growing…the defensemen are coming…i don’t see how the plan has been jeopardized. players haven’t all lived up to GMGM’s expectations. that’s his fault and their faults. but we’re right up against the salary cap, and i’m not sure the front office can keep building the team while also allowing trade deadline wiggle room every year. is that really “the plan”? to hope there’s an available player (at a reasonable price) at the deadline each year to meet our specific needs? have the red wings made any deadline day splashes recently? sometimes you make the most educated choices possible, and you hope your depth stands up.
by Natty Bumppo on Apr 23, 2009 2:06 PM EDT up reply actions
First-half Poti was a mirage. He wore out his welcome in Edmonton, NYR and NYI for the same reasons he will here: inconsistent play, a lack of phyisicality and badly-timed boners.
With Kozlov, Poti and Fedorov as our “veteran leaders,” it’s no surprise that we’re hosed. None of these guys is Stevie Y. None of these guys is even fit to carry Stevie Y’s jock.
Are you suggesting that Poti has a problem with the ladies?
by DrinkingPartner on Apr 23, 2009 2:14 PM EDT up reply actions
I sat around thinking about this series last night, and it came to me that this is not really that hard to win, if you take it one game at a time. I expect there to be a lot of emotion Friday night and possibly a win. The hardest game to win would be game 6 in MSG, but they can do it. They did the same exact thing last in Philly—which is arguably more hostile than MSG—when they were down 3-1. Maybe they can do the exact same thing this and NOT fail in game seven. We are about to see the kind of heart this team has in the next couple of days. We are also going to see how lucky they are too, man they neeeeeed some breaks.
Thanks
Hey JP, DMG, Pepp, everyone, thanks for letting me blow off my steam from last night. Clearly, from the quantity of my comments, I needed it.
Also, thanks to JP for setting up last night’s thingy at Rhino’s. Who was there besides me?
Everyone should take a deep breath and head outside. It’s a beautiful spring day here in the District.
No thanks necessary – how was the event anyway? I had one of the SBN folks send along a couple of pictures of folks, but I didn’t want to out them without permission, so if you were there… speak up!
Japers' Rink: Hockey blogging from the most powerful city in the world
Imagine what life is like for a Bruins fan right now. If the Rangers win this series, its like getting a bye through the first two rounds of the playoffs.
facing one of the best goalies in the world, playing at his best, in the playoffs…is now equivalent to a bye?
by Natty Bumppo on Apr 23, 2009 2:34 PM EDT up reply actions
Certainly not a bye, but the B’s will curbstomp the Rags.
Japers' Rink: Hockey blogging from the most powerful city in the world
Yeah, I’d expect an American History X-sque beating as well.
by DrinkingPartner on Apr 23, 2009 2:43 PM EDT up reply actions
oooooh. didn’t need that image resurfacing in my brain. damn that movie.
by Natty Bumppo on Apr 23, 2009 2:55 PM EDT up reply actions
So, “curbstomp” didn’t quite do it for ya? :-)
by DrinkingPartner on Apr 23, 2009 3:01 PM EDT up reply actions
Yeah, apparently Theo60 took his ball and went home. I’m pretty hot about it, too – a lot of people spent a lot of time commenting in that thread, and he just up and deleted it.
Sorry to you (and everyone) who actually tried to have a reasonable discussion in that thread.
Japers' Rink: Hockey blogging from the most powerful city in the world
Apparently. I can delete anything (b/c I’m omnipotent and all), but apparently authors can try to wipe away the evidence if they’re too embarrassed at getting pwnd in their FanPosts.
Japers' Rink: Hockey blogging from the most powerful city in the world
Damn. I did spend a lot of my morning commenting on their. Trying to use reason to change the world. Now I have to go to Property Seminar and I am F***ed because I neglected most of my reading. Grrrr.
if i can be so vain…
it’s possible my “i can’t believe this post has received 170 comments” input might have been the final straw for theo60.
by Natty Bumppo on Apr 23, 2009 6:14 PM EDT up reply actions
F&B, if it makes you feel any better, your post inspired me to run a quick google on the case. sometimes, i’d rather know less about the world around me, not more.
(yet still i check out the anonymous lawyer blog from time to time.)
by Natty Bumppo on Apr 23, 2009 6:12 PM EDT up reply actions
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Southeast Standings
| GP | W | L | OTL | PT | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Florida
|
53 | 25 | 17 | 11 | 61 |
|
Washington
|
54 | 28 | 21 | 5 | 61 |
|
Winnipeg
|
56 | 26 | 24 | 6 | 58 |
|
Tampa Bay
|
53 | 23 | 24 | 6 | 52 |
|
Carolina
|
55 | 20 | 25 | 10 | 50 |
(updated 2.10.2012 at 9:27 AM EST)
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