GDT#24 Capitals @ Islanders 7:00 p.m. Mon Nov 26, 2018 NBCSWA+, SN, MSG+

[alta]

and....


#hashtagsarestupid

[4 Caps]

I would think Boyd will sit when Kuzy returns which most likely will be Friday against the Devils.  Eller will return to the 3rd line.  The guestion will be whether Kuzy returns to the top line or will Backstrom continue on the top line. 

[BlackIce]

I would think Boyd will sit when Kuzy returns which most likely will be Friday against the Devils.  Eller will return to the 3rd line.  The guestion will be whether Kuzy returns to the top line or will Backstrom continue on the top line.

I wouldn't be surprised if Kuzy goes right back on the top line, only because a Kuzy/Connolly/Vrana line is a big defensive question mark.  But Backstrom centering that line gives it some defensive gravitas.  After Oshie returns and Connolly drops in the lineup, then maybe you could do Vrana/Kuzy/Oshie on occasion at least.


Ovie/Kuzy/Wilson is a respectable defensive line because Ovie has been playing a much better all-around game the last couple of seasons.  Trotz finally got through to him.

[Maacoshark]

Great game. Both teams fought hard. I really enjoyed it. With fair refs it may have been an even more lopsided score.
The question is who sits when Osh and Kuz return.

     Fairly evenly played game. The Islanders just dont have the offensive talent. You could see that on their pp. It was atrocious.
     Good question. Who is going to sit. I assume Boyd will be one of them. I'd like to see Burakovsky as the other. DSP did leave the game today and I'm sure he didnt return so he might possibly miss some games.

[Maacoshark]

I wouldn't be surprised if Kuzy goes right back on the top line, only because a Kuzy/Connolly/Vrana line is a big defensive question mark.  But Backstrom centering that line gives it some defensive gravitas.  After Oshie returns and Connolly drops in the lineup, then maybe you could do Vrana/Kuzy/Oshie on occasion at least.


Ovie/Kuzy/Wilson is a respectable defensive line because Ovie has been playing a much better all-around game the last couple of seasons.  Trotz finally got through to him.

     I'm hoping Backstrom stays with Ovi. We give up too many chances when Kuzy and Ovi are on the ice together. Ovi has been a bit lazy in our zone this year. The goal we gave up Ovi may have had a chance to make a play on the guy at the blue line.

[Maacoshark]

A ggod game to stay up for.I thought that was the best I've seen our Dmen play so far this season.As much as I wanted Willy to get the hattie, I'm glad Ovi got on the board too.  I think if Willy had been up there, he would have gifted it to him. 

      Our dmen did play well. I think Bowey was our best dman tonight.

[BlackIce]

      Our dmen did play well. I think Bowey was our best dman tonight.

He's still being protected somewhat though, being kept away from the top lines when possible.  But I think maybe Reirden will be better for developing young talent than Trotz, who had a short leash for young players. It will be interesting to see if his ice time grows later in the season if Orlov and Niskanen continue their struggles.


Once again tonight, Wilson led the forwards in TOI.  This is getting to be a semi-regular occurrence.  Probably won't continue when PP1 gets back, but I'm sure he'll still be in the top few.  AND he took 6 shots tonight.  This has implications for the top line, since Ovie does have games where he doesn't seem to have the legs, and it's probably only going to get more frequent as he ages.  It would be good if Wilson can pick up the slack on some of those nights.  Wilson's shooting percentage thus far is unsustainable, but even if it's, say, cut in half, if he can generate 2+ shots per game he can score 20+ goals.

[Mickstix]

They still let the fans pick the allstars? Not to be a jinx but we got a pretty special young power forward developing.. 

[alta]

speaking of which, the NHL channel just gave their 3 starts of the night.
THE BIG WILLY
got the #1 star !!

[PUCKNRUSH]

A lot of accolades to go around tonite!
The GDT has pretty well covered it all!!


I want to also give credit to both Jaskin, and Dowd! They are making a great case for themselves to remain in the lineup!
Jaskin has been a real playmaker, recently! Although, he hasn’t quite found the net yet, you can feel it coming in the way he plays! He’s SO close! If he keeps it up, he’ll be scoring VERY soon!
Dowd, another of our grittier hustlers, IS being rewarded!! He’s making shit happen, as well!!


Just saw that Dowd has 30 HITS! That’s #1 on the team, with total TOI factored in!
He also leads team in + giveaway/takeaway ratio, as a percentage, although sample is small, it too, is relative to total TOI! (BTW, Dowds S% is also in the top 3, on the team)! He is BOTHERING opponents BIG TIME!!


Jaskin has 10 HITS already! Yes, a small sample, but very GOOD, nonetheless, at #3 with TOI included! Looked like a real pain in the ass for the Islanders tonite! He’s got good size too!!


Rush

[BlackIce]

I hate to even point this out, because it feels like some sort of a jinxing comment, but .....


the Caps haven't lost since Oshie and Kuznetsov left the lineup.  And they've been playing good, and hot, teams since then.


Puck, I think you're spot on mentioning Jaskin and Dowd.  The question is, are they the type of players who can tide you over for a short time but eventually get exposed if they play too much, or are they guys who can contribute longer-term?  We'll see.

[BlackIce]

speaking of which, the NHL channel just gave their 3 starts of the night.
THE BIG WILLY
got the #1 star !!

I wonder if that could be his nickname inside the locker room??

[Maacoshark]

A lot of accolades to go around tonite!
The GDT has pretty well covered it all!!


I want to also give credit to both Jaskin, and Dowd! They are making a great case for themselves to remain in the lineup!
Jaskin has been a real playmaker, recently! Although, he hasn’t quite found the net yet, you can feel it coming in the way he plays! He’s SO close! If he keeps it up, he’ll be scoring VERY soon!
Dowd, another of our grittier hustlers, IS being rewarded!! He’s making shit happen, as well!!


Just saw that Dowd has 30 HITS! That’s #1 on the team, with total TOI factored in!
He also leads team in + giveaway/takeaway ratio, as a percentage, although sample is small, it too, is relative to total TOI! (BTW, Dowds S% is also in the top 3, on the team)! He is BOTHERING opponents BIG TIME!!


Jaskin has 10 HITS already! Yes, a small sample, but very GOOD, nonetheless, at #3 with TOI included! Looked like a real pain in the ass for the Islanders tonite! He’s got good size too!!


Rush

      Just wondering where you are getting these total hits numbers from. You say Dowd has 30 hits and Jaskin has 10.

[DC_1908]

I wonder if that could be his nickname inside the locker room??

dude, that’s prettyfuckingay

[Mickstix]

dude, that’s prettyfuckingay

FIFY.  (No reflection on Alta, btw. In here it's cool, but to his face/in the locker room.. #gay)
You didn't think #tomwilsonisawesome, Alta?? 

[DC_1908]

FIFY.  (No reflection on Alta, btw. In here it's cool, but to his face/in the locker room.. #gay)
You didn't think #tomwilsonisawesome, Alta?? 

lol Alta did not bring up the locker room 🤣

[alta]

FIFY.  (No reflection on Alta, btw. In here it's cool, but to his face/in the locker room.. #gay)
You didn't think #tomwilsonisawesome, Alta?? 

Unless it's a female fan or his girlfriend/wife, yea, not something I'd say in public. I've only ever used one hash tag in my life and I don't see that changing....


#hashtagsarestupid

[Mickstix]

I've only ever used one hash tag in my life and I don't see that changing....

#hashtagsarestupid

Im telling Alan!!! 

[PUCKNRUSH]

      Just wondering where you are getting these total hits numbers from. You say Dowd has 30 hits and Jaskin has 10.

I’ll treat your question as straightforward, (although my antenna is up)!LOL😁
I get it from the Capitals stats section, from the official NHL app. You have to filter for Capitals only, otherwise it gives the total NHL “league leaders”!


Actually, I’m glad you asked, because I went and double checked. It actually helps the case for Jaskin.
Don’t know where I got 10 hits for Jaskin, yesterday, it’s actually 49 HITS for him.
That’s 49 hits in 18 games. Dowd is 30 hits in 20 games. But the Total TOI for each player, tells the real story!
For all Caps players on ice, right now, (this excludes Orpik, Oshie, Kuzy), Jaskin is #1 in hits/TOI, including Islanders game!  Dowd is #2 in this category.


Orpik, (out/injured), actually leads all with 30 hits in only 10 games!
The top 3 in the more broad “total hits” stat, are as follows:
Ovi - 75 hits/24g
Nisky - 58 hits/24g
Jaskin - 49 hits/18g


Since I’m feelin like a nice guy, Maaco, I won’t post the Carlson hits total!LOL
Suffice it to say, however, that unforgivable pussy, Eller, (according to you), has the same number of hits that Carly does! And Eller has much less TOI than Carly!! (Ahem, Ahem)!🤣🤣


Rush

[BlackIce]

Over the years there has been a lot of back and forth about the meaning, or lack thereof, of +/- stats.


I find it interesting that the +/- "losers" for the Caps at this point are precisely the players that are being criticized most frequently on this site -- Orlov, Niskanen, Eller, and Burakovsky.


And then there is one outlier among the "losers" who has gone virtually unmentioned on this site this season, after having had a decent amount of good things said about him here last year.  That outlier is Chandler Stephenson.  I think he's been unmentioned because he has basically been invisible; done virtually nothing of note after having drawn some attention to himself last year.  I wonder what's up with him?  Soph slump maybe?  It happens to some players.