Morrison back at home?

Some honest comments from Brendan Morrison about the Caps, especially the power play.

almost 2 years ago miseenjeu 16 comments 0 recs |

Comments

This has definitely been discussed before, but I definitely think (as does B-Mo, apparently) that we need to have two legit power play units. With Carlson coming up next year, hopefully Boudreau will split the time a little more evenly.

Sadly, Flash and I have broken up. I have returned to my post of 08-09 as a King Karl Alzner fangirl. It was nice while it lasted, eh Flash?

by flashfangirl on Jun 26, 2010 10:43 AM EDT reply actions

“You can say what you like about how our season ended, how Montreal played, officiating, anything. But we were 1-for-34 on the power play and we went the whole series without making any adjustments,” said Morrison. “That’s just not going to work.”

This quote was more damning. Pretty much a direct slam on the coaching staff.

by Ginga on Jun 26, 2010 12:12 PM EDT reply actions

a well deserved slam.

by capsfansteve on Jun 26, 2010 2:33 PM EDT up reply actions 2 recs

adjustments…the caps were too full of themselves to make adjustments.

in many ways it’s a lot easier to coach a team without talent.

Choking since 1985.

by macvechkin on Jun 26, 2010 3:30 PM EDT up reply actions

I feel like they did adjust though, throwing Corvo in there, etc. Didn’t Ovechkin even switch between wing and point pretty regularly? Okay, that’s not a major switch, but it’s easy to blow the whistle on this in hindsight. It’s tough the change that which you are most successful at.

I agree with flashfangirl in that two smooth powerplay units would be nice. Instead of the powerhouse and the grab bag of whoever can score and isn’t tired as the second unit.

That all being said, if not for a collection of terrible bounces on those powerplays, the Caps would have advanced, and the PP would never have been considered an issue. Just luck of the draw.

by TFG on Jun 26, 2010 7:02 PM EDT up reply actions

Coupla thoughts -

BMo is coming off another year in a string of subpar years, and a year where he was expected to bounce back and put up strong numbers with a strong team. I mean, if you can’t put up good offensive numbers with the Caps, who are you going to post the numbers with? He’s now going to free agency and looking for a job with that record … think maybe he’s trying to point the blame for his season somewhere else?

I don’t think the PP problems are all on BB. If you watch the power plays they got, they got good chances (and lots of them) when they moved around. MTL blocked a ton of shots and got a ton of lucky bounces, and Halak was phenomenal. But the majority of the time, they didn’t move. A PP that doesn’t move is easy to defend. And that’s partly on the players as well, because they should jolly well know that.

Am I saying there should be no blame attached to the coaching staff? No. But some goes to the players as well, and BMo’s comments should be taken with a grain of salt.

Hanlon's Razor: Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity.

by gotsparkly on Jun 27, 2010 4:40 PM EDT reply actions

The PP never moves. That’s a system thing, and that falls on Bruce. Montreal was able to block all the shots in the world, because the Caps never moved. Halak was able to stay square because the Caps didn’t move. That falls on BB.

I'm gonna pain you dearly Woodhouse, when I peel all your skin off with a flensing knife, sew it into Woodhouse pajamas, and then set those pajamas on fire.

by Steckel Me Elmo on Jun 27, 2010 5:04 PM EDT up reply actions 2 recs

I mean, if you can’t put up good offensive numbers with the Caps, who are you going to post the numbers with?

There’s validity to his point about powerplay time. Of the 351 forwards who played at least 50 games last year, only 71 had a point more often at 5-on-5 than Morrison.

by David Getz on Jun 28, 2010 7:34 AM EDT up reply actions

On the PP, too many times it seems that if the Caps don’t score early during one, scoring doesn’t happen. They’ll make many nice crisp passes and then a turnover happens and that’s all she wrote (and they end up playing fetch for the rest of it).

I do feel that Green and Ovi being on the ice during the entire PP is counterproductive after a point. Occasionally, they can be on for over a minute but not most of the time.

Rocking the Red since 1975

by CapsFan75 on Jun 27, 2010 6:04 PM EDT reply actions

Good luck moving Ovechkin away from that PP time, but Green can and should be limited with Carlson taking a bigger role next year.

by TFG on Jun 29, 2010 1:20 AM EDT up reply actions

I was lobbying for BB to use Carlson on the PP but that didn’t happen.

Rocking the Red since 1975

by CapsFan75 on Jul 1, 2010 7:16 PM EDT up reply actions

I think BMo may have a point. If all the coach is going to do during the playoffs when the PP goes 1 for 34 is say “we’re having unlucky bounces”, “we’re running into a hot goalie” and “but we were so effective during the regular season” — maybe the problem with passengers during the playoffs starts behind the bench.

by miseenjeu on Jun 29, 2010 10:26 AM EDT reply actions

Boudreau earned himself a bit of immunity with management and fans when he took a losing team to a division title. That immunity however, is fading, if it’s not already gone.

by TFG on Jun 29, 2010 11:57 AM EDT up reply actions

I’m leaning more toward the coaching staff too. In the playoff practices I saw little attempt to work on the PP – let alone prepare the 2nd unit – or switch things up.

(Yes, I know about the avatar hounding - just pretend mine is invisible.)

by oldemystix on Jun 29, 2010 2:29 PM EDT up reply actions

didn’t they have a tough time working on the powerplay with montreal coaching staff watching in the stands?

by oates_meal on Jul 1, 2010 11:38 AM EDT up reply actions

That happened once in MTL and Bruce decided not to practice the PP. Then the next practice back in DC was cancelled due to the travel delays, so almost no attention was given to the PP.

(Yes, I know about the avatar hounding - just pretend mine is invisible.)

by oldemystix on Jul 1, 2010 6:44 PM EDT up reply actions