Despite Bumps in the Road, Caps Are Finishing Strong
by J.P. on Apr 6, 2010 11:01 AM EDT
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Via ESPN, the top ten teams (by point percentage) since the Olympic break:
Over that 17-game span, the Caps have averaged 3.29 goals per game and have allowed 2.65, have converted 25.4% of their power plays and killed 77.6% of their shorthanded opportunities (yep, there's that Achilles' heel again, though it certainly is worth noting that its impact has been mitigated by only averaging 3.4 power plays against per game since the break).
The Caps might have taken their foot off the gas a bit after locking up the Conference and subsequently the League, but take a slightly longer view and things look just dandy (and taking as long a view as possible is always the best idea)... and that's without the best player in the world being the best player in the world. This team at "far from perfect" is still awfully good.
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Our offense is really slumping. 3.29 goals per game? Pathetic.
DC Landing Strip - Waxed and Ready to Go
by Alex Reed on Apr 6, 2010 11:11 AM EDT reply actions 1 recs
Slackers!
Kung-fu Rink Rabbit
Donate to the Rink Pledge Drive for SAVES FOR KIDS! Ain’t nothing [crappy] about giving $5 so a stranger’s premature baby can have the time on a respirator they need.~Gould Old Days
What’s really eye-popping is that in the second half of the season, the Caps have been playing at an .811 winning percentage. Read that again, .811! And still we worry about the slightest screwup. Maybe Ted really is on to something with his whole Be Happy mantra.
.811? as Ovie says, “Oh Jesus!”
I assume the win streak was part of that?
Kung-fu Rink Rabbit
Donate to the Rink Pledge Drive for SAVES FOR KIDS! Ain’t nothing [crappy] about giving $5 so a stranger’s premature baby can have the time on a respirator they need.~Gould Old Days
Interesting that the Blues, Leafs, and Habs are on that list. Who’da thunk?
Posts like this are always refreshing when the natives get restless. Taking a step back and looking at things, you’re still the odds-on Cup favorite by a mile ‘slump’ or no ‘slump’.
On the Forecheck: a blog that's more productive than a Predator power play!
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Now Cycling like the Sedins
Look at who are 3rd and 4th respectively.
"You ever use smelling salts, every time you type a bad blog?" Brooks Laich
Heh. Don’t worry, I’m fully aware ;). ‘Tis a Caps blog, though, so thought I’d stay on topic without gushing over Trotz and Tippett.
On the Forecheck: a blog that's more productive than a Predator power play!
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Now Cycling like the Sedins
by Chris Burton on Apr 6, 2010 11:20 AM EDT up reply actions
The Pierre Lebrun post had the Caps at 10-2-4 for 24 points, then JP updated to 11-2-4 after last night and probably just forgot to add the extra 2 points.
DC Landing Strip - Waxed and Ready to Go
This is very refreshing, especially knowing that we haven’t come close to playing our best hockey since before the Olympic Break. We’ll be alright.
Now can someone do something about Joe Corvo’s suckiness? He was AWFUL last night.
Grimm's in. Jacoby's next?
It definitely is refreshing. What’s equally refreshing (to me) is that we’re not playing our best hockey but we’re also not playing horrible hockey – most of the time, at least.
They’re getting scrappy, hard-working wins against desperate teams, and even when they lose (with the exception of the Calgary game which was just awful from start to finish) they’re in the games, they’re fighting for the points – Ottawa, Carolina, etc.
One thing to keep in mind though, is that a substantial number of those 11 wins are OT/SO wins. In my mind that dampens the “refreshing” aspect just a little…but still, good perspective amidst all of our “tanking” talk.
Every time the Swedish Swashbuckler scores a goal, an angel gets its wings.
by SeattleCapsFan on Apr 6, 2010 12:05 PM EDT up reply actions
Does Ovie get to 50?
I like his odds, using the law of averages, that he is due in a big way. He may get here tonight.
Discuss.
I don’t think he does. I don’t really care.
"You want to start being part of the Rink? Fine, but more’s expected of you than John/Jane Cap Fan. Carry the cause of informed discussion to the unwashed masses and don’t crap in the yards of other SBN sites if you decide to go over there. They’re passionate about their teams too, no need to troll elsewhere and/or be a sore winner." --BP
No
Because we will be smart and not give him the ice time to do it. That lack of ice time means shorter shifts and a harder time fine tuning his shot. It would be nice for him to put up a few dominant outings and remind folks of who is most deserving of Hart, Rocket Richard and friends but here’s hoping that he’ll choose to dominate the playoffs first and care most about all of the team marks that he has helped set. Captain Ovie floats all boats and only the heavy hardware has sunk.
erskine has scored...now i can die in peace
Whoever makes it out of the West… will have to earn it. With the wings in the 5-6-7 slot, it’s going to be mayhem. Imagine a round robin between the bottom 4 in the West and the bottom 4 in the East.
OTT
MTL
BOS
PHI/NYR
vs.
NSH
LA
DET
COL
Almost laughable. Those 5 east teams are cumulatively exactly equal in GF/GA. While the West teams are beefy in the plus… and that’s playing against each other. I hate to jump on the West >>> East bandwagon, but there is some serious statistical backing for it. I’d like to see a real analysis deeper than wins and goals, but down to shots/corsi, goaltending contributions, defense, physicality, etc. See how much of it is noise and how real the gap is between the Confs, and whether it’s because of a specific facet of the game or what. Anecdotally I feel like teams in the West are rougher, but that doesn’t mean a whole lot, and shouldn’t alone account for the enormous gap of wins this year.
by Bushwood Bushwhacker on Apr 6, 2010 12:20 PM EDT reply actions
What I didn’t realize until I saw the whole linked post was how bad New Jersey has been lately (15-16-6 second half; 8-5-4 since Olympics). Shows how dominate they were in the first half of the year, but also that the Kovy addition hasn’t been “all that”, and that Marty is tiring earlier than usual.
"It hit me on the pants. I had protection. It felt good. Why? I wanted to win."
If I recall correctly, NJD were killing it on the road and in one-goal games early in the year. They were something like 9 – 0 – 2 in road games to start the season.
"You want to start being part of the Rink? Fine, but more’s expected of you than John/Jane Cap Fan. Carry the cause of informed discussion to the unwashed masses and don’t crap in the yards of other SBN sites if you decide to go over there. They’re passionate about their teams too, no need to troll elsewhere and/or be a sore winner." --BP
Yeah they were awesome on the road to start. Kovalchuk has been heating up but their offense is still nothing special.
A pretty girl is like a violent crime.
IF you play them smart. I.e., remove their opportunities to score on neutral zone turnovers.
"You want to start being part of the Rink? Fine, but more’s expected of you than John/Jane Cap Fan. Carry the cause of informed discussion to the unwashed masses and don’t crap in the yards of other SBN sites if you decide to go over there. They’re passionate about their teams too, no need to troll elsewhere and/or be a sore winner." --BP
Sweet Wings and Caps
two hottest teams in hockey…time for a Wings/Caps finals!
TULO = 2010 MVP!
Troy Tulowitzki: "When people think of the Rockies, I want them to think of a winning organization."
LETS GO WINGS!
no, because if 1998 happens all over again, I’m flinging myself off the Key Bridge.
Kung-fu Rink Rabbit
Donate to the Rink Pledge Drive for SAVES FOR KIDS! Ain’t nothing [crappy] about giving $5 so a stranger’s premature baby can have the time on a respirator they need.~Gould Old Days
Yeah. No Wings, please. Once was bad enough.
"You want to start being part of the Rink? Fine, but more’s expected of you than John/Jane Cap Fan. Carry the cause of informed discussion to the unwashed masses and don’t crap in the yards of other SBN sites if you decide to go over there. They’re passionate about their teams too, no need to troll elsewhere and/or be a sore winner." --BP
To avoid a messy divorce?
"Camaraderie, that's what the Washington Capitals are all about."
by CapitalCentre on Apr 6, 2010 4:26 PM EDT up reply actions
it’ll be messy, but it won’t be a divorce…..I’ll be asking my dad which judging is most forgiving of wives who kill husbands because of sporting events.
Kung-fu Rink Rabbit
Donate to the Rink Pledge Drive for SAVES FOR KIDS! Ain’t nothing [crappy] about giving $5 so a stranger’s premature baby can have the time on a respirator they need.~Gould Old Days
Pierre’s numbers looked familiar – 27-4-6 – isn’t that Ovechkin’s record as Captain?
Now helping to keep an eye on all things Gr8 at Alex Ovetjkin.
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