Are the Caps ripe for the pickin' in the Southeast?
Canes Country is optimistic. Should they be?
over 2 years ago
J.P.
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Not really. Optimistic for the playoffs, I think so, but what speaks volumes to me is that the Caps played horrible hockey for half the season and played it at a 100 point pace more or less. The Canes, when the played bad, it was bad (in terms of results), and good, it was good. When the Caps played bad, it was good, and when the played good, it was great.
I realize that was ripe with grammatical errors.
I understand what you mean, though. Even when they were playing—what seemed like—half-assed hockey, they still managed to beat plenty of teams. One game that exemplifies what you are saying almost perfectly was the BB bobblehead night giveaway against the Blues. The Caps coasted around the ice and got booed for almost an entire period, but still won by two goals.
The whole post seems like the writer just took a look at paper and statistics and used that as primary fuel for their argument. I’m not sure if the writer had seen all 82 games with their own eyes, but if they did, then they would be pretty optimistic for the Caps. There was even part where they claimed to be better suited for the playoffs and failed to realize—as a poster even said—that the Caps drove the Stanley Cup Champions to seven games while the Hurricanes got waxed by the same team.
Bob’s point about the division being tougher is a valid one – goofy play aside, the division was the Caps and everyone else. I still think the Caps will win the division, but not by a couple of touchdowns so to speak.
And the “Caps playing the Champions to seven” meme should also have “Caps got played by the Rangers to seven” meme attached to it, in my mind.
"The worst thing you can be is a liar...Okay fine, yes, the worst thing you can be is a Nazi, but THEN, number two is liar. Nazi 1, Liar 2."
In my mind that was partly a carryover from the 2nd half of the season.
I also think that after facing 40 shots a night every other night for a month, Cam Ward’s glove hand might have been a wee bit tired.
by red army line on Sep 9, 2009 2:54 PM EDT up reply actions
Perhaps he’s a long-lost relative of Tony “Caps-Are-Choking-Dogs” Kornheiser and thinks we’ll implode in the heat of the spotlight (and feel free to beat me senseless if this actually happens now)
"Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it."
- Ferris Bueller
I think that the division being tougher is a good thing for the Caps. The coast down the stretch last season did them no favors.
"It is better to die on your feet than to live on your knees." - Delores Ibarruri
Caps will win the Southeast
Fedorov, Kozlov, and others might have left, but Knuble and Morrison are good players. I was disappointed that the Stars couldn’t resign Morrison, because Morrison’s a good player and a good guy.
Besides, y’all have Ovechkin, the best player in the world.
by Brad_Richards_Rocks on Sep 9, 2009 2:44 PM EDT reply actions
Take solace in knowing the Brad Richards is one of the most underrated players in the league. I love watching his shootout highlight reel.. just going full-speed to the net and sniping a corner with a snap shot before the goalie has time to react. With his shot, I bet Ovechkin’s shootout numbers would be a lot better if he took a clue from BR91.
Winterion Game Studios
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Tyler.
But we’re wondering if we can get along with general, top-to-bottom blog toughness rather than relying on one goon.
Japers' Rink: Hockey blogging from the most powerful city in the world
by J.P. on Sep 9, 2009 2:48 PM EDT up reply actions 8 recs
F&B does a good job of using logic to battle internet idiocy on other SB nation blogs
Because now I can justify browsing and commenting during the work day with the argument that I am promoting my business.
Yeah I agree. He is relentless and doesn’t even seem to sleep.
Comment first, think second, read third.
He did a great job on that guy at Pensburgh who brought up the silly Ovie-sucks arguments like shooting pct.
by red army line on Sep 9, 2009 2:52 PM EDT up reply actions
The Peerless… the Jeff Schultz of bloggers.
If you've read this far...seek help.
by ThePeerless on Sep 9, 2009 5:58 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Is it reasonable to assume that all of these players will continue to achieve career best numbers?
Well considering those players mentioned are all 25 or younger, it doesn’t seem unreasonable.
Because now I can justify browsing and commenting during the work day with the argument that I am promoting my business.
It seems a lot of his argument is premised on the baseless hope that a lot of off-ice exposure will lead to over-confidence or something similarly problematic.
Japers' Rink: Hockey blogging from the most powerful city in the world
Yeah that was the main issue and I’m not sure I by it. Hockey players have a lot of down time, I think with technology and reporting at an all-time high, now we just see them more. That, if anything, is the reason for exposure if you ask me.
Also I think the biggest reason Carolina could contend with the Caps wasn’t even addressed. (His name is Cam Ward).
Pensburgh.com -- it's like the Max Talbot of blogs*
*not just because we only work for 12 minutes a night
or something similarly problematic.
Backstrom punching a DC cab driver?
Comment first, think second, read third.
by zephyr on Sep 9, 2009 3:05 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Didn’t we all unconsciously reach some agreement that Semin was a 2nd-liner on the Caps, BMo the #2 C, and Laich on wing? Correct me if I’m wrong.
Also interesting to note which defenseman didn’t make the top-6…
I think reasonable minds can differ on Flash or Laich for the 6th top-six F, but the other five are locked and loaded.
Japers' Rink: Hockey blogging from the most powerful city in the world
What does this mean JP:
Maybe the Capitals are not heads and shoulders above the Canes after all? Let’s compare the teams, line to line and player to player. (glove tap to JP with help on this, although the lines will be mixed)
Were the lines he posted the ones you suggested?
Comment first, think second, read third.
I’m glad you asked, as I’d like to clarify that point. Bob asked me for my take on the Caps’ lines. Here’s the relevant portion of my response to him:
Well, here goes nothing…
Ovechkin – Backstrom – Knuble
Fleischmann – Morrison – Semin
Laich – Steckel – Clark
Bourque – Gordon – Bradley
But that’s a complete guess. Even the coach has no idea (and he’s a big line-jumbler): http://voices.washingtonpost.com/capitalsinsider/line-combos-on-boudreaus-mind.html
Frankly, I’d like to see:
Ovechkin – Morrison – Knuble
Fleischmann – Backstrom – Semin
Laich – Steckel – Clark
Bourque – Gordon – Bradley
In both cases, I think if Fehr is healthy from the start, he’s on that 3rd line RW, Clark bumped to 4th LW and Bourque out.
So no, the lines he used weren’t mine. Looks like he re-arranged things to tell the story he wanted to tell, no?
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by J.P. on Sep 9, 2009 2:55 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Thanks for posting that. He most definitely rearranged it to make it look like we were “just” a 1 line team. I’m surprised he didn’t move Semin and Laich down to D.
Comment first, think second, read third.
not exactly sure of the benefit of using last seasons point totals as a point of comparison, especially given that he has Clark, Pothier and Alzner in there. I’m sure some of those Canes were injured as well, but that stat alone just doesn’t seem to be the best forecast of this season’s potential.
Hard to say what might be better – PPG?
If you held a gun to my head and told me to pick one metric, I’d use +/-ON/60.
Japers' Rink: Hockey blogging from the most powerful city in the world
Sorry I did not use your lines verbatim JP, but you did say it was a guess and the lines could be different and I also said that the lines could be mixed. As I explained in my article, I started with the top scorers and went down.
It’s all conjecture anyway. peace.
GM of CanesCountry.com
No worries – I just wanted to clarify for my peeps.
Japers' Rink: Hockey blogging from the most powerful city in the world
J.P. you almost snuck that one by me there… Backstrom on the second line with Morrison playing up front? I’m surprised.
Backstrom has great chemistry with either Alex
by red army line on Sep 9, 2009 3:55 PM EDT up reply actions
Not really out of the box, either – AO and Nick were split up to great results in each of the past two playoffs.
Japers' Rink: Hockey blogging from the most powerful city in the world
Not the first time I’ve mentioned it. I love the Semin/Backstrom chemistry, and think Mo and Knuble could be great with AO. That would be two positively deadly lines.
Japers' Rink: Hockey blogging from the most powerful city in the world
I buy it, it really call comes down to BMo and him becoming a great deal at $1.5… There aren’t many number 1 centers out there for that price.
No, but it balances out, as we have a number… uh… whatever center at $4.875m.
Japers' Rink: Hockey blogging from the most powerful city in the world
Japers' Rink: Hockey blogging from the most powerful city in the world
by J.P. on Sep 9, 2009 3:51 PM EDT reply actions 21 recs
I think so, with the funny frog suit too. I always used two flutes to skip straight to World 8 in that game after finishing World 2.
by red army line on Sep 9, 2009 4:12 PM EDT up reply actions
Mario 3 also had the best power up in any Mario game ever.
"It is better to die on your feet than to live on your knees." - Delores Ibarruri
Tanooki. Turning into stone is pretty badass.
I guess after Super Mario Galaxy every older Mario adventure is just a blur…
by red army line on Sep 10, 2009 8:29 AM EDT up reply actions
Let’s hope that Canes Country doesn’t have a warp whistle or else we’re screwed…
by Laich It Or Lump It on Sep 9, 2009 4:12 PM EDT up reply actions
17 recs… might be a rec’ord. Natty?
Japers' Rink: Hockey blogging from the most powerful city in the world
8-bit graphics NEVER go out of style! : ]
"Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it."
- Ferris Bueller
by war_capitals on Sep 10, 2009 12:10 PM EDT up reply actions
I look at it this way:
2008-2009
Caps: 272 GF, 242 GA, goal differential = 27
Canes: 239 GF, 226 GA, goal differential = 13
So the Canes have 14 points of goal differential to make up.
I figure Knuble for Fedorov is at least a wash, and so is Morrison for Kozlov (and Bourque or whoever for Brashear). Varlamov is a big upgrade over Brent Johnson, and could significantly drop that GA number. In other words, goaltending won’t be any worse since Theo is still here, and it could be much better. I could also see GA dropping because of young defensemen gaining experience, because of Alzner or Carlson making a big impact, and/or and because of Bob Woods. So even if the young guns drop off a bit, it’s not obvious that the Caps will lose goal differential.
So how are the Canes going to gain those 14 goals of differential?
The Canes lost Anton Babchuk, Dennis Seidenberg, Patrick Eaves, and Ryan Bayda. Their new players are Andrew Alberts, Aaron Ward, Tom Kostopoulos, and Stephane Yelle.
The “lost” players combined for 32 goals and 90 points. The “new” players combined for 19 goals and 63 points. That’s a net loss of 13 goals and 27 points. Looks like some pretty significant losses to me.
Florida barely missed the playoffs at the end of the season. Atlanta and especially Tampa have both upgraded. Carolina may need to worry more about holding on to #2 than to overtaking the Caps for #1.
Atta dinnin stick a who!
To Canes Country:
This is why, you don’t bring a knife to a gun fight…
by Sct112 on Sep 9, 2009 4:52 PM EDT up reply actions 2 recs
I dunno, I tend to think that BMo will be an upgrade over Kozlov given some of the numbers I’ve seen floating around here lately. Certainly Knuble is an upgrade over Kozlov, although I think it remains to be seen whether BMo for Fedorov is a loss or a gain.
As for Bourque / Aucoin for Brashear … I think there’s a fair amount of upside there in either case, and certainly getting a healthy Clark back will add some sorely-needed snarl to the Caps’ game.
"It is better to die on your feet than to live on your knees." - Delores Ibarruri
I dunno, I tend to think that BMo will be an upgrade over Kozlov given some of the numbers I’ve seen floating around here lately.
If he isn’t, I’m sure B-Mo’s dad will complain it’s all a conspiracy by the Caps to hold down his value come contract time.
by b.orr4 on Sep 9, 2009 5:05 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
My big complaint with the CC outlook is that they are somehow skeptical that the Young Guns, still several years from their prime, are somehow going to have problems maintaining their output. They say this, apparently, with a straight face ignoring the fact that they’ve relied on Brind’amour and Whitney staying healthy for how many years now? They also have a bunch of guys that have to play at or above their level to really make those lines look anywhere near as deep as the Caps (like Cullen). I think it’s a tough sell to say that it’s more likely that the Canes’ old guys are going to have an easier time maintaining production than the Young Guns.
A man must have a code.
I think the southeast will be much tougher this year. Each team improved. It will be a good race. The canes should look forward to a revamped team. Their blueline holds more promise on paper. The Caps’ career years can. easily be replicated as each young gun is well short of his prime. The additions of knuble and BMo are upgrades (Feds is 40 bottom line and hasn’t played a full season in how many years- Kozlov has never impressed me beyond his ability to speak Russian.) The only place for caps fans to be concerned about is in goal, for obvious reasons: is varly good enough to be one now? Is theo mentally ready after his tragedy this summer?
by Hunky Dory on Sep 9, 2009 5:57 PM EDT via mobile reply actions
I’m following both threads too. Judging by the make up of the commenters in both threads I’d say the ‘Canes are most likely to win the division because apparently they don’t play road games. (I love the shout out for the number of comments before the work day is over while ignoring that at least 50% of the comments are generated by Caps fans.)
A man must have a code.
The estimable F&B on the other thread:
Semin puts his numbers up in about 75% of the season so a full season gives him a huge potential to increase his numbers.
Don’t you usually argue the other side of that over here…
Atta dinnin stick a who!
by Gould Old Days on Sep 9, 2009 6:56 PM EDT up reply actions
It depends on the context. Over here I point out that Semin hasn’t been able to stay healthy; a fact that I think is extremely important in evaluating Semin’s place on this team. At CC the context was a potential drop off in production from the Young Guns because “it’s hard to keep putting up career numbers.” Well, Semin may very well put up fewer points than he did in 08-09, but as for potential to put up higher numbers I think it’s hard to ignore the fact that he could play another 20 games and blow his numbers away. He could also be injured all year and put up fewer points, but that wasn’t the angle CC was taking.
They could have relied on his injury history (in which case I’d point to Cole, Brindy, and Ray Whitney to an extent). But they relied on the fact that it’s hard to continuously top your career best. Semin is getting better and hasn’t played a full season the last two years, so in my mind he has at least as much potential to put up higher numbers this year as he does to put up lower numbers.
/I’m pretty sure you’re just ball bustin’ but I’m just fleshing out the argument
A man must have a code.
ok, I just about snorted beer out my nose when someone suggested that the Caps and Canes are bitter rivals. I know, same division and all, but…..no, just no. The Canes are a minor irritant, but the mere sight of someone wearing a Pens or Flyers hat sends my blood pressure through the roof.
I think the Canes could become rivals – it certainly could get spicy in the coming seasons. but they’re going to have to meet in the postseason before that one really heats up.
I don’t like the Canes very much, but holy crap do I despise the Pens and, to a lesser extent, the Flyers.
"It is better to die on your feet than to live on your knees." - Delores Ibarruri
Maybe a little OT, but there’s an interesting discussion of “big body presence” over on Matchsticks and Gasoline.
"It is better to die on your feet than to live on your knees." - Delores Ibarruri
It makes since they would predict a drop off, since after all, that’s what their team is notorious for after a decent run.They preach what they know.
As for superstars underperforming after a good season, example 1A in the hockey pantheon of stars who made it big only to coast for a season or two afterward is Eric Staal. Sure, he’s dynamic now, but at the beginning of last season, they were rippin the guy to shreds because their team had problems and he wasn’t producing like they’re paying him.
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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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