Recap: Panthers 4, Caps 3 (OT)

3 PP goals allowed to the worst PP in the league will not get it done.

0-fer-6 on the PP won’t get it done either. They’re still scuffling, and flat efforts to start the game don’t help matters.

Perreault went missing in the third: One shift, then…gone. Something happen to him? Seemed early for Bruce to staple someone to the bench.

I’m glad the schedule is picking up steam. This team has had too many days off. Need to get into a game rhythm again.

but other than that looking great.

I’m starting to think the caps should offer to let the opposing player serving penalties stay on the ice since they play better at even strength

JP, it’s pretty amazing that you would use one of your 10 notes on the game to make a negative comment about someone who is injured and did not even travel to play in the game. I get the sense you think it’s clever or funny, but it really just shows your extreme bias when it comes to Semin. When was the last time you made such a comment about a player who was injured?

Where’s your comment about Perreault only playing 36 seconds and Willsie only playing 32 seconds in the third period? How about something relevant to the game that was played tonight by the players on the ice?

Funny tweet tonight regarding CSN-fail (emphasis added):

MayHockeyCSN: What channel is Caps game on Xfiniti?

Green hooked Stillman good, but Stillman’s blatant dive was an embarrassment. he should have gotten 2 for unsportsmanlike conduct.

although none of it would have mattered had the Caps played hockey in the 1st. Yuck. They’re lucky to walk away with a point.

If Boyd Gordon is ready to go tomorrow night, Beagle’s offensive-zone trip with 5:29 left might have made the decision on whom to scratch to make room an easy one for Gabby.

It was a bad penalty, but I strongly disagree. Beagle has been a outstanding lately. He is constantly hustling more than any player on the ice, killing penalties, mixing it up in the corners, and getting under the goalie’s skin in the crease.

Off the top of my head, guys I’d scratch before Beagle right now: Chimera, Perreault, Chimera, Chimera, that dude who wins faceoffs, and Chimera.

Back to Johansson for a moment, his first career two-goal game came on perhaps his most assertive night as an NHLer. He was speedy with the puck and around the net all evening, finishing with three shots on goal – three times as many as he’d had in his previous seven games.

I liked his offensive game tonight, although it’s a bit weird that Caps can’t win a game in regulation when he scores a goal, obviously a really small sample sizes so far but still. But I thought it was one of his worst game defensively in awhile, his positioning was a little off particularly around the net in the defensive zone.

Can the Caps PLEASE make a trade to acquire Santorelli? Then again, the scouting report on him sounds similar to that of our folks (Perreault, Johansson).

Not Hendricks’ best game. He had the puck entering the zone and the Caps with a 4 on 1 and passed it directly into the only defender, to say nothing of his botched clear in overtime. He needs to be better.

Lots of missed opportunities early. Backstrom and Ovechkin in particular still cannot finish. It cost them a game tonight. Again.

Best part of the night:

Wearing flip flops and shorts to a hockey game.

Not every day your team is +2 Fenwick and -16 Corsi. Caps had 19 shots blocked at 5on5. Green, AO, Beagle, and Knuble were the only non-negative Corsi players.

Impressive tonight was Mike Weaver, all 5’8" of him. Though it looked like a physical mismatch, he was taking the piss out of Ovechkin nearly every time he crossed center ice. Damn irritating, but impressive.

Shit. My Blackberry ate my whole multi-paragraph comment.

Long story short: if the Caps can avoid spotting the Panthers two guys – TWICE! – next game, we should have a different outcome. Sheesh!!!

December’s Caps would have folded like a wet paper towel.

Even the Florida PP unit, matched up against the Capitals’ Penalty Kill, can convert their 5-on-3s while the Caps PP is as neutered as a pet on the Price is Right.

If this is “technically” a point scoring streak for the Caps, why doesn’t it really feel that good? Since we’ve lost so many OT games as of late.

what’s with backstrom taking stupid and obvious checking penalties?

is this his way of adding grit?

Didn’t get to settle in and watch until around 10 PM… the last 2 minutes of regulation and OT.

1) Yeah Green took a penalty, but he sort of had to hook Stillman, who would have slid the puck past Neuvy had Green not hooked him.

2) There is precident for calling a hook on one guy and a dive on the other….this would have been the correct call. From what I saw in the replay, the ref’s arm was on the way up when Stillman started to go down… a pretty obvious call.

3) With about 15 second to go in the PK, Hendricks had a clear shot to send it the distance and finish off the kill… instead he tried to bank it past the defender along the boards, and then pick it up going by to start a break. The defender kept the puck in….not a good decision. The camera after the goal focused on Hendricks a bit, but neither Joe B or Craig mentioned him until later….if he clears the puck the easy way, they don’t score in that sequence.

Still, it is a point in a game where the Caps were down 3-0 and deserved to get nothing. perserverance is worth something… but not falling behind is worth even more. Tonight’s game is again for first place…. let’s get two, boys.

I didn’t see much commitment to the new defensive scheme. Seemed like the D was backing in way too deep leaving the neutral zone open but I’m no expert. Did anyone else notice this?

Mirtle has his mid-season Langway awards

Carlson is the only rookie on the list (at 13), and Alzner is at 22.

fondly.

when was the last time any of you guys have ever seen a diving penalty called?