Wednesday Caps Clips: No Halak, No Problem

Veteran club? Yes, but guys like Cammalleri and Gionta only pick on people their own size.

If we hadn’t been winning, I’ve got to believe that Erskine or Hendricks wouldn’t knocked his block off. But you don’t fight when you don’t have to, and we were playing a tight defensive game with a lead.

I’m not going to lie…I was impressed with him during the Playoffs last year. But after watching him a few times this year I’m kind of surprised that there’s been so much Calder talk around him.

He can do what he wants to do… if he plays like he did last night he’s going to get his head knocked off by someone without as much game awareness as the Caps players seem to have (Carcillo, Downie or Kris Barch for example).

What I think was the best way to get back at Subban for his antics was Green scoring his goal from about the spot where Subban should have been when playing his position on the ice. Subban was 40-50 feet behind Green racing to get back from center ice and was completely out of position. Green’s shot came from a spot where Subban should have been. If Subban is in position, Green doesn’t get the shot off from that close, and likely Price makes a save (he played very well for Montreal last night…)

If enough teams take advantage of the holes in his game, then the rest of the NHL won’t have to deal with his crap anymore… he’ll be riding the busses from Hamilton to Rochester….

I thought I noticed a MTL player yelling at Subban after the too many men on the ice penalty. I can’t remember who it was…but whoever was going back onto the bench.

Where’s your Messiah nowwww???

We have to keep the title “family friendly” to some degree. (I did laugh at that last comment.)

Kneel before Zod!

that would have been an excellent way to kick off Fucking Wednesday #3.

Regarding the Caps’ PP:

1. It would appear that much like the Caps’ ES play, many teams have figured out the Caps’ PP “recipe” and have been noticeably better at defending it. The difference is that while BB has made a visible attempt to change the way his team plays ES, I don’t see that when the PP starts. I don’t think radical changes are in order necessarily, but it’s obvious that this current system simply isn’t working as it has in the past. I think what I’d like to see, as long as the PP is under-achieving, is a little more variety out there — maybe give some of the hard-working guys who are playing well some minutes on the extra-man unit…and not just 30 seconds of second unit time, but a legitimate shot at first unit PP unit time. As long as the regulars aren’t getting it done, why not try to make some subtle changes, anything to possibly throw off the PK of the other teams?

2. Continuing with the point above, I can’t believe how many times I see the top line trio on the ice draw a penalty, and then stay right out there to play a minute or more on the PP unit. What’s the use of having guys out there with a man advantage if they are dog tired?

3. Ovechkin on the point. This has been discussed ad nauseum. Frankly, it seems to me that putting Ovi on the point during the PP serves one huge purpose…to allow him to stay on the ice longer. Is this true? Hell if I know, but it seems to me that by staying back on the blue line, he has to ultimately skate less, which makes it easier for him to stay out the entire duration of the PP. It doesn’t help that between he and Green, it seems that too many pucks get by into the neutral zone causing a reset and wasting precious seconds. I’d personally at least like to see a few games where BB tries to move Ovi up to his natural LW position, and get him off the ice before the PP expires so that he can send the first unit out quickly again after the PP has expired (assuming it hasn’t ended due to a goal) to carry the momentum into ES play and force the opposition to keep their top defenders on the longer, and wear them out quicker.

I don’t know — I’ve never coached hockey, and these ideas might be either obvious or just plain stupid, but it seems to me that if things ain’t working, it can’t hurt to shake things up a bit.

Yea…he certainly wasn’t dogging it last night.

Made ESPN’s top 10 (#8 or #9, not sure). I know, I know, it’s ESPN. But considering it’s not Crosby, Ovi or the Rangers, I’d say that’s something.

Beagle is great for the Caps not just because of what he brings on the ice, but the other bottom six forwards now have to be on notice. If you don’t forecheck hard and do the little things, there’s competition now.

I really liked how the bottom six took the body in the O-zone last night. More Pittsburgh-like than we’d seen in a while.

You don’t even notice that kind of stuff on TV. All you saw was Beagle chasing after a loose puck and making a nice play. Glad Hendricks got some credit for starting it off.

Nice. I remembered Beagle pointing out Hendricks started the play with a smart dump but I didn’t realize how long he had waited with the puck before making it. I also found interesting how the Bears played this very same aggressive PK last season too. I like the two clubs learning and adopting from each other.

F&B was definitely in love with that play. I was going to post on it, but the replays I’ve seen don’t show that critical part – just Beagle’s and Fehr’s hard work right before the goal.

I think the non-official scuttlebut is a closed-to-the-public outdoor practice at Chevy Chase Club.

I KNOWWWWW

Thanks for the reminder. I’m more focused on the bleepin’ weather forecast. I check far too often.

Since we last saw HBO the Caps have:
1.Crushed NJ
2.Played a great game against Pittsburgh
3.Beat Carolina with an Ovi game winner.

Tonight should be nice.

A week of wins. So they had better start showing the lighter side of the Caps both in the locker room and the family guys at home.

Wait seven minutes… you’ve got a Pick ’Em coming up asking that very question.

BB says he may play both—heh heh. Nice conundrum to have.

Bummer for Gordon, but if someone else is ready, we don’t want to eat into his ten games any more than we have to…

I know this has been answered before, but do emergency call-ups count against that?

…if Devorski decide to “salute” the crowd at the Winter Classic as he did in Columbus, will he set the record for most people getting the simultaneous finger at the same time?

well, at the very least, it assures us some entertaining lip-reading moments from Bruce.

…I miss Justin. And I’ll leave it at that.

That was the dumbest article I’ve read in a while.

What I took from this article is that when you run into a wall, keep running into it, and hopefully, by some lucky chance, you’ll run right through it.

I read someplace that if you lined up all the pixels spent on negative articles about the Caps and Ovechkin, you could cross the Atlantic Ocean. Of course, you’d still only be half the distance of the positive stories written about the Penguins and Crosby.

I started writing a response, but it’s just not worth it. that is a dumb post. When the basic facts are that wrong, it’s hard to accept anything in the analysis.

All I could think of when I finished the article:

Mr. Madison, what you’ve just said is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard. At no point in your rambling, incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul.

Well, for what it’s worth, at least Callum is a Caps fan.

I actually think it’s a very fair question. Admittedly, I don’t know enough about the Xs and Os of hockey to gauge when the Caps started this transition or whether they truly have the personnel to execute in a way that gives them the best chance of winning in the playoffs. I agree that it’s probably worth a shot but I don’t see how you can dismiss the writer’s premise out of hand.

They’re high on him — he’s been one of the last cuts in training camp the last couple of years. Hard worker and good energy, but it wouldn’t surprise me if his transition to the pro game is difficult and he takes a few years to make it up to the NHL. Still, he may well have what it takes to stick in the league. I like him.

or is his value increasing enough where he can be a part of a trade that brings in a big time player at the deadline?

This has been my theory for a long time. The Capitals are actually pretty set down the middle if Johansson or Perreault improves to the point that either is a viable second line center; the other can play a third-line role. I have the feeling Eakin gets packaged along with some draft picks and ends up bringing in a rent-a-center.

Can I answer both? I’m sure he’s in their future in the sense that they’ll give him a chance to compete for a job and have high hopes for him. I also think he’s not untouchable so if we had a chance to get an impact player and the other team wanted Eakin we would probably do it.

Same thing is going to happen when Nabokov signs a contract.

Man, what happened to THAT guy? A few years ago he was supposed to be the next big thing.

Of course, in the 5 years since then he’s played 61, 66, 62, 69, and 54 games. Has he even played at all this year?

David Poile 1, St. Louis Blues 0.

One adjustment I liked that I saw offensively was shooting the puck deliberately into the boards behind the net from the point in order to counter the effectiveness of the collapsing defense and shotblockers.

Forwards play much deeper in the defensive zone

After about midway through the second period last night, the instant the Caps lost offensive zone possession, all 5 skaters dropped back to neutral ice. Classic trap.

they can hope the Caps trade Varly to the western conference?

3P 2:00: Why are those cretins booing P.K.?

How ironic, when the fans in Montreal pretty much boo every one that skates.

SkyKerstein

 #Caps practice lines
8-19-22,
21-85-28,
25-90-16,
17-26-39-83,

52-23,
74-27,
4-55,
89-3

Who’s posting?

Caps360 Audio: “It’s fun; reminds me of playing as a kid”
HBO 24/7 Audio: “My Fuckin’ nuts are frozen!”

If Poti is healthy, I would like to sit Hanaan and play 52-55, 74-27, 4-3. Erskine deserves to be in over the Rent-a-D for this game. If Poti is injured then hopefully Sloan gets a good seat in the stands.

Forwards are a little less tricky since Boyd Gordon and Bradley still out and not even practicing. If the choice comes down to DJ King or an AHLer I would rather see A. Gordon or even Beagle playing winger on the 4th line.

Capitals Insider has some details and a video. I can’t get the Capitals videos to work (Stretch must be slacking!). Ovie, as is noted in the text, decided eyeblack is also lipstick.

TAFY

Ballot box stuffing for a Capital? Say it ain’t so!

Nice work.

America, FUCK YEAH!

/Boudreau Patriotism/

The Pens have 12 guys becoming FA’s after this season.

And yet, they will still only have something like 8 million in cap space.