Recap: Devils 4, Capitals 3 (SO)
by Kareem E. on Dec 23, 2011 10:39 PM EST
in Game Recaps
Email
Print
[GameCenter - Ice Tracker - Game Summary - Event Summary - Faceoff Summary - Play-by-Play - Home TOI - Visitor TOI - Shift Charts - Head-to-Head - Fenwick/Corsi - Zone Starts]
Three years ago today, the Caps skated back from a three goal deficit to shock the New York Rangers with an improbable 4-3 OT victory. Tonight, the Caps attempted to honor that anniversary and re-live the glory a mere 10 miles across the river in Newark. After spotting the New Jersey Devils three goals in the second period, the Caps ran off three of their own in the third stanza. But, this time, lady luck didn't see this through for the good guys. It would be the Devils skating away with two points, besting the Caps in the shootout and ending another improbable comeback bid.
Despite the loss, this was still a memorable game for the red-white-and-blue. The team showed no quit and salvaged a key road point that will suredly help them as the season progresses. Ten more notes on the game:
- The Brooks Laich - Alexaner Semin - Jason Chimera line caught fire in the third period and were directly responsible for all three goals the Caps scored. Kudos to Dale Hunter for assembling that trio for the final period. More kudos to Chimera for what is turning into a career year for him.
- However, none of those players mentioned were the Caps game MVP. That honor belongs to Michal Neuvirth. Despite allowing three goals on 28 shots (and two more in the shootout), he kept the Caps in the game when the team was coasting through the first and second periods, stopping numerous quality scoring chances.
- Jersey put on a clinic the first two periods on how to stifle the Caps, exposing the Caps limitations in playing against a committed trapping team. Despite the change in coaching staff, certain highly skilled Caps forwards still will not chip-and-chase when it's the right thing to do.
- A bad Caps road power play + a great Devils home penalty kill = mismatch, right? Yep, and it was a difference-maker tonight, with Jersey notching a PP goal and the Caps notching zippo on three tries.
- Want to know why the Devils have such a good PK and are a constant threat to score? Because they routinely play their top players shorthanded: Zach Parise, Travis Zajac, Danius Zubrus, Adam Henrique, Ilya Kovalchuk. (Some locals refer to this as Beamer Ball.)
- Good Sasha and Bad Sasha paid a visit in the same game. Following an ugly first two periods that must have left even the most hardened Semin supporters shaking their heads, Good Sasha graced Caps Nation in the third and helped spark the comeback. Smeagle, meet Gollum.
- Dale Hunter is definitely a fan of shortening the bench. Matt Hendricks, Mathieu Perreault and Mike Knuble all saw less than 8:45 on the night, while John Erskine skated 10:02. One wonders whether fatigue will settle in for the top-liners as the year wears on.
- Does anyone remember a game where more goalposts were hit?
- Dmitry Orlov's failed clear in the second period directly led to Erskine's second period penalty, which Ilya Kovalchuk capitalized on soonafter. Orlov's mistake cost the Caps and is going to be a tough lesson for the rookie during film study. Orlov also got burned on the Devils second goal, when his indecisiveness on whether to cover his man or go for the puck led to an easy goal by Alex Urbom. Another tough lesson for the rookie. Coincidentally, he finished even on the night. Brighter days are ahead for the talented blue-liner.
- Seeing Martin Brodeur sport a 0.885 save percentage is just downright scandolous. For two periods the Caps did their best to pad the future Hall-of-Famer's pedestrian stats. But the third period installment of the cardiac Caps helped Brodeur stay true to this year's form, and he finished the game with a 0.880 save percentage.
The good news is that the Caps showed some resolve, took it to a Devils team that started coasting in the third period and escaped Newark with a much-needed point. The bad news is that they put themselves in a 3-0 hole with some ugly, uninspired play. The reality is that the Caps are still learning who they are under Dale Hunter's tutelage, and bi-polar games like this will occur until the complete their metamorphosis.
Still, it doesn't take away from a sparkling comeback. Games like tonight's are great building blocks for putting together a hot streak, and the next 10 days are as good a time as ever to start one, with four of the team's next five games against poor or borderline playoff teams. Let's see if the Caps can use the opportunity to make up some ground on the division-leading Florida Panthers.
Game highlights:
59 comments
|
0 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
Looking at the Devils PK personnel tonight — it looked more like the personnel you’d expect from a PP. (You said your bullet point well on the subject, Kareem)
On the shortening of the bench by Hunter: that is one of the areas that has me concerned for the team. Are our 4th liners and 6th defenseman really that bad that they should see such short ice time? How did Knuble fall so low? And then someone remarked on the Period 3 thread that Ward didn’t see much ice time during 3rd period.
Rocking the Red for teams on the banks of the Potomac and at the Gateway Arch and Singing the Blues about Hockey.
Ward only got 8 seconds of PK ice time tonight, good enough for 8th most among forwards. Something is going on…doghouse maybe?
If we were counting winners and losers in the Hunter Regime, most of the winners are the same people who fared well under BB and most of the losers are the guys who Boudreau had on the outs. The main obvious winner who’s fared much better under DH has been Halpern (until tonight). The main obvious loser who’s fared worse is Schultz.
This year (under both regeimes), Laich & Chimmer have fared well. Ward, less well, than his linemates.
Ovi and Backstrom faring well (since they are Ovi and Backstrom)
Sasha under DH (some top line time at ES but no PP time although that is starting to change)
MP & Knuble — still on 4th line.
On defense: more time for Carlson, Alzner & Wideman, maybe too much.
Rocking the Red for teams on the banks of the Potomac and at the Gateway Arch and Singing the Blues about Hockey.
You and me both. I can understand using a short bench (and short defensive pairings) if we had a AHL quality substitute in the lineup. But I had thought that Knuble was a competent player.
And here before the season started, we Caps fans all thought it was so cool that we had 6 good defensemen (Green, Hamrlik, Wideman, Schultz, Alzner, and Carlson) and the work load could be balanced out so that nobody got too fatigued. And Oisk a decent backup. But Green is now hurt. And Schultz is marginalized to a ridiculous degree (as if Hunter was listening to the Schultz haters among our fanbase).
Rocking the Red for teams on the banks of the Potomac and at the Gateway Arch and Singing the Blues about Hockey.
What a change a few months makes. Green is hurt, Hamrlik is a disaster and Schultz can’t see the ice. We’re playing with Erskine and Orlov, neither of whom should be every-day defensemen this year. That leaves Alzner, Carlson and Wideman to hold down the fort, and that’s just not enough. We really need Green back.
No sh**, Sherlock. Hamrlik has not been good. I would normally put Schultz ahead of Oisk on the depth chart but, obviously I’m in a minority among Caps fans (although Harry Hawkins of Caps Around the Clock & Rock the Red.net agrees with me).
Rocking the Red for teams on the banks of the Potomac and at the Gateway Arch and Singing the Blues about Hockey.
and I don’t think that highly of Wideman, so, really, two guys to hold it all together. Yikes. it’s almost a minor miracle they’ve won as much as they have.
Pledge Drive 2011-2012: CARSON KOLZIG FOUNDATION! Season Pledge total--$718.07!
And here our current cast of characters is better than the defensemen we dressed 3 years ago today. You know we were in trouble when our “top” pairing was Alzner (a raw rookie then) and Jurcina were our top pairing. Note: Green, Poti, Schultz, and Oisk were all out injured. That day, they were even dressing Sloan and Bryan Helmer.
Rocking the Red for teams on the banks of the Potomac and at the Gateway Arch and Singing the Blues about Hockey.
Um, so, Neuvy with a smakedown on his teammates.
"I don’t think everybody [gave] 100-percent effort tonight," goaltender Michal Neuvirth said. "I think we only played 20 minutes, and that’s not enough to win a hockey game in this league."
Chimera also had some choice words:
We weren’t ready to play. I don’t know if guys were looking forward to the Christmas break or what was wrong. But the execution was terrible. We looked like Pee Wee hockey players. No one could make a pass. No one was getting the puck out. We were fanning on the puck.
Pledge Drive 2011-2012: CARSON KOLZIG FOUNDATION! Season Pledge total--$718.07!
I agree with Chimer, the passing was terrible and looked lost. There seemed to be no strategy to their choices. Played like they had no clue what to do with the puck. Breakouts were sad looking. No attempt at strategy. Just blind throwing the puck down ice. So frustrating.
by feeya7 on Dec 23, 2011 11:12 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
at one point I was in total disbelief that someone (and I don’t recall who) decided the best thing to do would attempt a pass diagonally across the neutral zone……
Pledge Drive 2011-2012: CARSON KOLZIG FOUNDATION! Season Pledge total--$718.07!
Sadly, I remember that exact pass. I got up and screamed “wtf is this cross ice shit, just pass it to the open guy and set up a normal, controlled, breakout! Why is this so effing hard!”
by feeya7 on Dec 23, 2011 11:18 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
very late in the third? And the Devils had their trap all nice and set? yeeeeeeeeeeeeah.
Pledge Drive 2011-2012: CARSON KOLZIG FOUNDATION! Season Pledge total--$718.07!
Should vokoun get the start on Monday or not?
by Twisted Wrister on Dec 23, 2011 11:06 PM EST via iPhone app reply actions
That’s a good question. Neuvy wasn’t that bad but was hung out to dry, so to speak.
Rocking the Red for teams on the banks of the Potomac and at the Gateway Arch and Singing the Blues about Hockey.
Didn’t have a great view of the TV were I was, but the first goal looked like it needed to be stopped.
Everything ends badly...otherwise it wouldn't end.
by Davethecapsfan on Dec 24, 2011 1:24 AM EST up reply actions
By the defense, probably. I didn’t see, or hear of, Neuvy really giving up any softies, but defensive breakdowns were rife in that 2nd.
If you’re going down into the butterfly because you can’t see a shot, I think you should really have the five-hole covered. That being said, it seemed like it found the only space available through Neuvy’s pads.
Red Line Station and @RedArmyLine, featuring coverage of the most frustrating team in the NHL
I believe in next year.
by red army line on Dec 24, 2011 10:36 AM EST up reply actions
Chimera may have come up big in the third, but man, that one shift in OT where he lost his man—twice—was brutal.
Orlov I thought all night was not being decisive enough. He was taking too long to make a decision with the puck. When you’re facing a guy like Ovechkin who won’t hound you, that’s fine, but these Devils hound.
Red Line Station and @RedArmyLine, featuring coverage of the most frustrating team in the NHL
I believe in next year.
Orlov clearly can play NHL hockey, but more time in Hershey would still benefit him.
Ah, well.
You perhaps knew me better as "Your Nation's Capital." Same great commentary, now with 100% more transparency!
That’s why I’d love to see Schultz in instead of him. We have competent defensemen to spell a prospect who could use more time in the minors, so why don’t we use them?
by jcoral128 on Dec 23, 2011 11:29 PM EST via iPhone app up reply actions
I’ve been wondering that myself. While Plus/Minus is a flawed statistic, Schultz has usually scored high in that regard.
But, of course, we have a large segment of our fan base who really hate Schultz and don’t consider him an NHL caliber defenseman and it appears Hunter agrees with them. Do I agree with them? No.
Rocking the Red for teams on the banks of the Potomac and at the Gateway Arch and Singing the Blues about Hockey.
urbom’s goal raises a question for me: Do the Caps get paid extra to serve as drought and/or icebreakers in this league? I swear the ‘first goal since the Harding Administration’ scroll gets used by every other opponent this season.
what is Up with that?
....when the truth is if they knew anything about the game, they'd be in it.
--GMGM
Draft Number watch — 8 teams would pick ahead of us, if it were held today. So we’d have the 9th pick. And, depending on what happens in the Colorado/TB game and the Calgary/Vancouver game, we’d have the 10th or 11th pick as well. Colorado is guaranteed to at least tie us in points today — they’re going into OT. Calgary is tied with us in points but plays tonight. If both win, we’d get the 9th on our own merits and the 10th, from Colorado.
Rocking the Red for teams on the banks of the Potomac and at the Gateway Arch and Singing the Blues about Hockey.
Tonight was another example of why shootouts infuriate me. The Devils have three stars who are just awesome at the shootout, and a great goalie for it…and that’s the vast majority of their team. It’s going to bite them in the ass if they make the playoffs. Man I hate that.
"Don't mind WM...he's an all-around jerk."
Hi Alice, WM and all.
I watched the game and missed the 3RD PERIOD! Had to drive everybody everwhere. Go figure…I thought they had given up. Well, it’s a point. :-))
Hey G-Mama! The third period was the period not to miss! Sorry you had to play chauffeusse!
Honestly, after that comeback, I was not upset with a point. Obviously, an OT win would have been better, but with the way we’ve been on the road, I loved that we didn’t just roll over and take it. There is clearly something to build on here, going back to Buffalo to avenge a game we did roll over in!
I have to be honest…I was depressed after the 2nd period :-(( I didn’t listen to the game in the car or watch the end on purpose. I figured if I didn’t watch it they’d come back. This usually happens when I walk the dog. (I was the sole reason the Caps came back and beat the Rangers last year in game #4(?) I spent half the game walking the dog, LOL.
I can certainly understand that. I left my mom’s house after the 2nd NH goal in the 2nd period (I was there making lasagna all day). I listened in the car, but they’d scored the 3rd while I was in the 7-Eleven. When I got home, the 3rd had started, but they hadn’t scored. In the time it took me to get out of my car, into my house, and settled in my room with the game on TV, they’d scored a goal. There was a discussion in the 3rd period thread as to whether I should just keep going back and forth to my car. ;)
I did something similar as well. When the game got to be 3-0, I went upstairs for a bit. Then, decided to leave the house to go to the bank and treat myself to a large drink at Micky D’s. So when I came back home, it was 3-2. (I’ll admit to doing similar things for other “bad” games.) For the Miracle on 32nd game, I had left the house to run errands but was back in time for Ovi’s game tying goal and the winner (and watched it on-line). For playoff game 3, I had left the house to go to the bookstore. Even my husband had turned off the game and decided to do something else. But checked on-line and found out they had tied it up and were in OT. Followed the game in the Overflow GD threads and learned about Jason’s OT goal.
Rocking the Red for teams on the banks of the Potomac and at the Gateway Arch and Singing the Blues about Hockey.
I hope the Caps can build on the third period comeback when they next take on the Sabres. I like their fighting spirit tonight, but at the same time, I agree with Chimera’s comments that they came out flat and unfocused, maybe looking ahead to the two day Christmas break. Kareem’s description of this game as bi-polar is right on the mark, as well as his observation that we will see more games like this until the Caps finally get their act together with Hunter as their coach.
by Ovietracker on Dec 24, 2011 12:08 AM EST up reply actions
Join the club. But if the Devils are 6th seed in the playoffs this year, it will improve their odds of advancing ‘cause guess who’s the likely 3rd seed — the winner of the SE division.
Rocking the Red for teams on the banks of the Potomac and at the Gateway Arch and Singing the Blues about Hockey.
I think I’ve been a member since the inception.
"Don't mind WM...he's an all-around jerk."
by Whiter Mage on Dec 24, 2011 12:21 AM EST up reply actions
Assuming the Caps win the SE, wouldn’t you like them facing a team that depended on the gimmick SO to win games in the regular season? Especially if Brodeur is still sporing a 0.885 SV%?
by Ovietracker on Dec 24, 2011 12:28 AM EST up reply actions
sporting That’s what I meant. Too much egg nog for me.
by Ovietracker on Dec 24, 2011 12:35 AM EST up reply actions
That’s a very good point, if the Caps win the SE. Facing Los Diablos would not be a bad bet as a Caps opponent, given that they depend on shootouts to win. Come to think of it, the Devils had not had a very good track record for advancing past Round 1 during the last few years. Before last year’s debacle of missing the playoffs entirely last year, during the 2 years immediately previous, they would win the Atlantic Division and then get bounced in Round 1 to a lower seed.
If the Panthers ended up winning the SE, I would not have high hopes for them advancing past round 1, given their propensity for earning so many points on OT losses. I will admit my previous post had the “Panthers win” scenario on mind to some degree.
Rocking the Red for teams on the banks of the Potomac and at the Gateway Arch and Singing the Blues about Hockey.
A positive of tonight’s game that I just heard on NHL OTF: Despite the game being played in NJ, and an NJ win, Jason Chimera took the 2nd star of the game, and Brooks Laich took the 3rd.
An objective official scorer? In New Jersey? Who is this non-homer?
by Ovietracker on Dec 24, 2011 12:24 AM EST up reply actions
Not so much the official scorer, as the NJ media. I’d believe it more likely that NJ media is incredibly hard on their own team, and 3rd period heroics resonate louder.
However, Chimera got OTF’s 3rd star of the night, too. So, maybe what he did was really pretty fucking special and we should be appreciative. :)
Third Periods under Hunter
The Caps are outscoring opponents 16-6 in the third period and OT since Hunter took over.
“We’re really comfortable in the third [period]. Teams spend a lot of energy against us in the first two periods against us, and we’re able to push in the third.” -Brooks Laich (Caps 365 vid)
Sounds like Brooks is crediting Hunter’s system with this trend. Buy or sell?
The keyboard is mightier.
I’ve got to say that’s a stat I like. Now, they just have to work on showing up in the first two, and they’ll be unstoppable! ;)
In answer to Breed16’s question, I sell on Hunter’s system as the cause for the Caps’ relatively good showings during 3rd period and OT.
I haven’t tracked the stats in that department but, over the years, the Caps had shown that same tendency under Coach Boudreau as well. In fact, during the previous 2 years, the Caps had a winning record when they gave up the first goal. And they were winning OT games this year.
One thing different this year under BB. The team was folding more after bad starts than in the past.
In answer to Breed16’s question, I sell on Hunter’s system as the cause for the Caps relatively good showings during 3rd period and OT.
Rocking the Red for teams on the banks of the Potomac and at the Gateway Arch and Singing the Blues about Hockey.
Well, kind of both. In 09-10 this team was dynamite in the 3rd. Hunter is making the adjustments at the right time.
Red Line Station and @RedArmyLine, featuring coverage of the most frustrating team in the NHL
I believe in next year.
by red army line on Dec 24, 2011 10:38 AM EST up reply actions
The recap went pretty easy on the Caps. I was outraged with another 40-min mail-it-in effort to start. A few players like Backstrom were playing the whole game. Ovie as usual was slacking most of it. And he still tends to stick to the “one and done” crap that is the opposite of chip-n-chase, trapping and cycling… he keeps going back to showboat, cherry-picking lazy hockey.
The fact that they pulled even in the 3rd is not impressive at all. Too little too late. It’s the same lazy, hope for the best attitude the Caps have displayed for a long, long time now.
I have been a long time fan of the Caps but they are starting to look like a bunch of lazy, overpaid, no-trade-clause having frat boys. Not impressed. Getting real tired of it.
Fan of: Dale Fuckin' Hunter
by sickleandhammer on Dec 24, 2011 1:13 AM EST reply actions
Good point. I apparently have a high pain tolerance.
It’s funny the other day Jerry Maguire was on and I watched it while working on something. Hadn’t seen it since it came out. The speech he gives Tidwell just made me think, yea that’s the caps, overall, as a team. (Except the “don’t have the 10 million” part.)
Jerry:
Airight. Here’s why you don’t have your ten million dollars yet.
You are a paycheck player. You play with your head. Not your
heart. In your personal life?
(points)
Heart. But when you get on the field…
Fan of: Dale Fuckin' Hunter
by sickleandhammer on Dec 24, 2011 4:25 AM EST up reply actions
Well we have the game on DVR, but reading this we should clearly fast forward to the third period. Bit of a disappointment that they followed up their great game against the Preds with a slow start. It appears that Hunter was doing some line juggling, if the initial lines were the same as on Tuesday. Those stats about their strong third periods are at least encouraging.
Knuble: "I am what I am. I play well with good players."
On his milestone: "It's going to be like unwrapping a birthday present. Then the day after you're kind of like [sighs]....Now you just have to keep going."
The initial lines started out the same as they had been for Tuesday’s game so your guess was correct — Hunter did a little bit o’ line juggling. Sasha placed with Chimmer & Liach (same as on his first day after his infamous healthy scratch) and Ovi back with Johansson & Nicky (a non untypical Hunter line combo for 3rd period in recent games).
Rocking the Red for teams on the banks of the Potomac and at the Gateway Arch and Singing the Blues about Hockey.
Jersey put on a clinic the first two periods on how to stifle the Caps, exposing the Caps limitations in playing against a committed trapping team.
The Devils haven’t played the trap at all this season, especially last night. If they had played a trap last night they would have been able to preserve the score.
"Its the letter D"
by Rory B. Bellows on Dec 24, 2011 11:41 AM EST reply actions
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Recent FanPosts
FanShots
Quick hits of video, photos, quotes, chats, links and lists that you find around the web.
Recent FanShots
The Vault
In Association With
Latest Puck Daddy - NHL from Yahoo! Sports
- Who are the Non-Smythe candidates for the Devils, Kings?
- End is near for Rick Nash, Blue Jackets as trade discussions set to resume
- Why the Devils and the Kings are evidence the Capitals shouldn’t trade Alex Ovechkin
- Eulogy: Remembering the 2011-12 New York Rangers
- Stanley Cup Final: 5 keys for New Jersey Devils and Los Angeles Kings
Latest stories and headlines from NHL.com
- Driven DeBoer delivers Devils back to NHL's elite
- Driven DeBoer, fired by Panthers, delivers Devils back to the land of elite in just one year
- Bruins acquire son of Hall of Famer Ray Bourque
- Bruins add a Bourque: Chris Bourque, son of Hall of Famer Ray Bourque, acquired from Capitals
- Shinnimin named CHL's Player of the Year
