P U something smells. Oh. It's my team.
This team D is not good enough to win a playoff series without an exceptional performance from the goaltender, and we have NOT been getting even adequate goaltending the last several weeks.
I had hoped Thompson would earn and become our #1 guy and he seemed to do that, but his play had fallen way off as well before his injury.
Protus out is a huge piece - he's an awesome forechecker on a top line, is effective everywhere on the ice. We don't have enough of those guys, and when we are forced to play in our own end, where we are weak against the opponents' forechecking, we get beat. Badly and often.
Caps were hugely successful the first 2/3 of the year when we managed to keep the puck in the O zone. We are suspect in our own end.
I thought the Great Chase was also a huge distraction for the entire team and was glad to see both Ovi get there, and to be essentially done with it. However, they certainly haven't recovered anywhere close to their previous form.
It's easy to blame the goalie when the team loses, but face it, our goaltending has sucked. Allowed 3 or more goals in like 11 straight games or some shit, and got royally spanked at least 4 or 5 times, but NON playoff teams. It's not all on the goalie, but the goalies have sucked at least as hard as the rest of the team lately
