GDT#38 Predators @ Capitals 7:00p.m. Mon Dec 31, 2018 NBCSWA, NHLN-US, SN, TVAS,

[ArJunaZ]

1st Period
04:33  GOAL 6-Kempny, assist 19-Bäckström   1-0 WSH
08:45  GOAL 13-Vrana, assists 74-Carlson & 92-Kuznetsov   2-0 WSH
09:08  Preds GOAL Grimaldi, assists Rinaldo & Ekholm   2-1 WSH

2nd Period
08:22 GOAL 18-Stephenson, assists 25-Smith-Pelly & 70-Holtby   3-1 WSH
09:57  Preds GOAL Salomaki, assists Bonino & Ekholm   3-2 WSH
11:59  Preds GOAL Johansen, assist Josi   3-3 TIE
14:30  Preds GOAL Gaudreau, assists Grimaldi & Smith   4-3 NSH

3rd Period
10:35  Preds GOAL Ellis, assists Johansen & Arvidsson   5-3 NSH
18:00 Preds PP GOAL Arvidsson, assists Johansen& Fiala   6-3 NSH

FINAL:    6-3 NSH

[alta]

I think that’s Holtbys 8th career point

[waynerivers]

Some thoughts--  As I've posted a few times before, they aren't going to do it again with this defense.  They just can't get it done in our own end consistently enough.  The lack of physicality and size among most or the unwillingness to use it, is a huge problem.  Last year, all the stars aligned for our run.  That won't happen again, IMO without changes.

Carlson--good offensive player but unwilling to use his size to advantage.  Gets caught up ice way too often allowing odd man breaks the other way. 

Kempny- generally solid if smallish.  I don't have any major complaints about his play.  Probably the steadiest guy back there.

Orlov- great skater and can be dazzling with the puck but gets outmuscled on the boards and can make some terrible giveaways in our own end.  Not enough size to clean out guys in front.

Niskannen- see Orlov except not the skater Orlov is and plays more physically.  Still another smallish guy.

Orpik-  stay at home, physical d-man but coming off injury and getting toward the end.

Siegenthaler- shows some real promise.  Good skater with size and seems willing to mix it up in the corners and on the boards.  Still needs to learn where to be at times but I've been impressed with him overall.

Bowey-  just not impressed.  Gives the puck away often or makes blind passes.  Gets caught out of position.  Physical at times but also takes dumb penalties.

Lewington- tough to tell yet.  Good size and seems like a good skater unafraid with the puck.  If I had to decide between him and Bowey, I'd take Lewington.


So, can we win another cup with the above?  I think it will be difficult.  I'd like to see a trade (Bowey, Bura, picks?) for a solid veteran d-man who is tough and dependable in our own end of the ice.  He won't have to do much offensively, just strike some fear into opposing forwards.

Speaking of Burakovsky, why is he playing ahead of Jaskin?  Jaskin mixes it up and is just as productive points wise right now.  The Dowd-Jaskin-Boyd line was tearing it up and they disassemble it.  I like Stephenson, too, so it's a juggling act between those four and DSP.  Bura, though, is perfect trade bait.

[PUCKNRUSH]

Are those the d pairings for sure. I thought Orpik and Siegenthaler was going to be the 3rd pair.
     I really dont like what they did with Lewington. In 2 games he had a goal, an assist, a fight, 4 hits, 7 pim, and he was a plus 3. I also didn't notice any glaring mistakes from him. He was making the smart safe play.
    And not that it means much but he also had a good corsi. That is for you Rush.
Lewington earned the chance to be given more games. What happened to Reirden rewarding players for playing well? I guess once they think of you as an AHL you will always be one no matter how you play.
   

Lewington had an absolutely AWESOME game, as you pointed out, Maaco!
Dowd played well and was scratched also.


Rierden hasn’t changed his basic reward/performance philosophy at all, IMO!
He has Orpik chomping at the bit. Siegenthaler, Bowey, Lewington, also earning their opportunities, with good performances!  THIS IS A GOOD PROBLEM TO HAVE! He has the same GOOD issues with some of the forwards!
If you’ve noticed, Rierden has been juggling Jaskin, Dowd, Boyd, Stephenson, and even DSP, for many weeks now!  Jaskin has sat the most, Boyd and Dowd alternating OR playing together, DSP and Stephenson maybe one or two scratches. THIS IS A LUXURY, again, to have, as a coach,  because you could drop any one of those guys in, at any time, at the overall play does not generally change.  It also allows the coach to dial in certain guys for certain types of opponents. You know all this stuff anyway!!

So I don’t think that Rierden, scratching Lewington, even after a great performance, warrants your “knee-jerk” reaction, is that he has abandoned his coaching philosophy!


Take Bura, for example. He’s been back for several games now. One game he showed his skills, although the production eluded him! The other games he’s been the same innocuous, nothing notable, vanilla, puck giveaway, guy that we’ve come to know well, this year! Most likely, they are hoping to showcase him, a bit for trade purposes. So you can’t just give Bura ONE game either, ( although personally I would not mind it)! LOL


Finally what’s this Corsi crap, that I’m supposed to appreciate you mentioning, about Lewington!
Are you telling me that the stench, from the dogshit pile, that I rubbed your nose in, by DEFINING CORSI for you, STILL hasn’t worn off YET??? 😂🤣😂   Or are you going to play that tired, and well worn, strategy, of claiming that you just get your jollies in this odd way!! LOL


Here’s a refresher, for ya, buddy!  We both have AGREED, just a little while back, that the +/- Corsi is a mostly insignificant stat, when taken alone!  YES, we agree on this!
Somehow your brain synapses have fired out of sequence, if you imply NOW, by your post, that I give Corsi a high value!!


Here’s to hoping my response gave you the little jollies you wanted!🤣


Rush

[PUCKNRUSH]

Some thoughts--  As I've posted a few times before, they aren't going to do it again with this defense.  They just can't get it done in our own end consistently enough.  The lack of physicality and size among most or the unwillingness to use it, is a huge problem.  Last year, all the stars aligned for our run.  That won't happen again, IMO without changes.

Carlson--good offensive player but unwilling to use his size to advantage.  Gets caught up ice way too often allowing odd man breaks the other way. 

Kempny- generally solid if smallish.  I don't have any major complaints about his play.  Probably the steadiest guy back there.

Orlov- great skater and can be dazzling with the puck but gets outmuscled on the boards and can make some terrible giveaways in our own end.  Not enough size to clean out guys in front.

Niskannen- see Orlov except not the skater Orlov is and plays more physically.  Still another smallish guy.

Orpik-  stay at home, physical d-man but coming off injury and getting toward the end.

Siegenthaler- shows some real promise.  Good skater with size and seems willing to mix it up in the corners and on the boards.  Still needs to learn where to be at times but I've been impressed with him overall.

Bowey-  just not impressed.  Gives the puck away often or makes blind passes.  Gets caught out of position.  Physical at times but also takes dumb penalties.

Lewington- tough to tell yet.  Good size and seems like a good skater unafraid with the puck.  If I had to decide between him and Bowey, I'd take Lewington.


So, can we win another cup with the above?  I think it will be difficult.  I'd like to see a trade (Bowey, Bura, picks?) for a solid veteran d-man who is tough and dependable in our own end of the ice.  He won't have to do much offensively, just strike some fear into opposing forwards.

Speaking of Burakovsky, why is he playing ahead of Jaskin?  Jaskin mixes it up and is just as productive points wise right now.  The Dowd-Jaskin-Boyd line was tearing it up and they disassemble it.  I like Stephenson, too, so it's a juggling act between those four and DSP.  Bura, though, is perfect trade bait.

Hey Wayne. How are ya!!
It’s definitely even awhile.


Anyway, Just wanted to tell you that it’s not often that I agree so completely with someone’s post!
I’m not tryin to blow smoke at you, just that the post had a ton of content, and I felt like I was talking to my season ticket buddy, right next to me, at the game! LOL


I was there tonite and said the exact thing about the Bura/Jaskin situation!


Good post


Rush

[PUCKNRUSH]

What a fucking garbage game. We completely fell apart. I'm also sick of our top line floundering. It seems like Ovechkin-Backstrom-Oshie is just a horrible combination. Only high quality scoring chances that occur when they're on the ice are in favor of the other team. Also frustrated at lack of PP opportunities (and lack of PP success when we have those chances).

I hate to sound spoiled but Ovechkin also needs to get his shit together and score some fucking goals. He's not contributing much else at this point...

I agree Zero.
I say flip Wilson to first line, and Oshie to 2nd line. Ovi’s a bit cold right now. Not sure if it because of Oshie on top line!


Rush

[DC_1908]

Some thoughts--  As I've posted a few times before, they aren't going to do it again with this defense.  They just can't get it done in our own end consistently enough.  The lack of physicality and size among most or the unwillingness to use it, is a huge problem.  Last year, all the stars aligned for our run.  That won't happen again, IMO without changes.

Carlson--good offensive player but unwilling to use his size to advantage.  Gets caught up ice way too often allowing odd man breaks the other way. 

Kempny- generally solid if smallish.  I don't have any major complaints about his play.  Probably the steadiest guy back there.

Orlov- great skater and can be dazzling with the puck but gets outmuscled on the boards and can make some terrible giveaways in our own end.  Not enough size to clean out guys in front.

Niskannen- see Orlov except not the skater Orlov is and plays more physically.  Still another smallish guy.

Orpik-  stay at home, physical d-man but coming off injury and getting toward the end.

Siegenthaler- shows some real promise.  Good skater with size and seems willing to mix it up in the corners and on the boards.  Still needs to learn where to be at times but I've been impressed with him overall.

Bowey-  just not impressed.  Gives the puck away often or makes blind passes.  Gets caught out of position.  Physical at times but also takes dumb penalties.

Lewington- tough to tell yet.  Good size and seems like a good skater unafraid with the puck.  If I had to decide between him and Bowey, I'd take Lewington.


So, can we win another cup with the above?  I think it will be difficult.  I'd like to see a trade (Bowey, Bura, picks?) for a solid veteran d-man who is tough and dependable in our own end of the ice.  He won't have to do much offensively, just strike some fear into opposing forwards.

Speaking of Burakovsky, why is he playing ahead of Jaskin?  Jaskin mixes it up and is just as productive points wise right now.  The Dowd-Jaskin-Boyd line was tearing it up and they disassemble it.  I like Stephenson, too, so it's a juggling act between those four and DSP.  Bura, though, is perfect trade bait.

agree 1000%

[Pavel095]

I agree Zero.
I say flip Wilson to first line, and Oshie to 2nd line. Ovi’s a bit cold right now. Not sure if it because of Oshie on top line!


Rush

I agree, Ovi’s current performance  could be correlated with Oshie same line play because last time when they played in same line Ovi’s performance has dropped too.

[Mickstix]

Yea, I think it's past due putting Ovie and Willy back together. Don't really care who centers them. 


Puck, if you're waiting for a reply from Maaco, it may take a minute. Pretty sure he got put in "time out" yesterday.. 


As for the choice of scratches, send downs & call ups.. Burt could (should) be sitting in place of Boyd, Dowd, Jaskin, Stephenson or DSP.. Hopefully, as has been said, it's just a showcase.. I hope Orpik is just rusty, cause damn, he looked SLOW.. If that doesn't improve, I hope they're not all loyal about him getting a sweater.. Too many young guys that should get ice, imo.. I like his "presence" around the team, but if he can't keep up, he can't keep up.. Let him be the scratch while still being around to mentor the young guys..

[Maacoshark]

Maaco just got banned for 24 hours.
 
 Tired of his passive aggressive and plain aggressive bullshit!!

     I guess you didnt like that I called you out about Holtby. Very weak excuse for a 24 hour suspension. I dont think there was any tos violations. I'll leave it at that.

[zerofox]

I agree with everyone saying Ovechkin + Wilson should be back together. They had some chemistry/luck not too long ago, and getting that back might be the spark Ovi needs.

Ovi is our Captain and leader. He needs to lead by example, and a big part of that is scoring goals. Yes we have enough depth where if Ovi isn't scoring, we have other guys who can score. But our top guy being productive beats him not being productive. Also is he using a new stick or something? I mean I know he shouldn't be expected to shoot 20% constantly, but I feel like lately every shot he takes goes high and wide...


Our PP really needs to get their shit together too. So incredibly frustrating to see someone repeatedly trying to go through 3 defenders only to lose the puck. Tired of seeing them repeatedly go to the "slingshot," especially because we got burned on that play once when the other team PKers read the play and got the SHG. Tired of seeing derpy passes to no one in particular.

Plus, selfishly, I really want him to get his 8th 50+ goal season and 8th Rocket Richard (and of course 2nd Cup!). This guy is a once in a lifetime talent. The best goal scorer in NHL history. I'd love to see him continue to cement that legacy in place. He's been lucky that during his 6 game drought his closest competitors haven't heated up, but Ovi can't let his modest lead slip!

[Maacoshark]

     It was a bad game. It might actually be good for us. We have been coasting the past few games.

[Mickstix]

Has Ovie even came close to scoring the last 5-6 games? I don't recall any near misses or anything..  Someone said he may be nursing an injury of some kind? Somethings up.. 6 games = too long..

[PUCKNRUSH]

Yea, I think it's past due putting Ovie and Willy back together. Don't really care who centers them. 


Puck, if you're waiting for a reply from Maaco, it may take a minute. Pretty sure he got put in "time out" yesterday.. 


As for the choice of scratches, send downs & call ups.. Burt could (should) be sitting in place of Boyd, Dowd, Jaskin, Stephenson or DSP.. Hopefully, as has been said, it's just a showcase.. I hope Orpik is just rusty, cause damn, he looked SLOW.. If that doesn't improve, I hope they're not all loyal about him getting a sweater.. Too many young guys that should get ice, imo.. I like his "presence" around the team, but if he can't keep up, he can't keep up.. Let him be the scratch while still being around to mentor the young guys..

Yeah Mick! Good point on Orpik option to scratch, but still mentor, if he can’t cut the mustard!
He’s always had those intangibles, that have served him well, in the past, helping him to keep some ice time!
Like you mention, we’ve got more young guys that are also making a good case for themselves! Part of Orpiks mentoring is to help get the youngins to where some of them actually are,  RIGHT NOW!
This inadvertently devalues some of what Orpik brings to the table for the team, as a whole!
He may have to perform at a higher level to keep his TOI, as a result! Time will tell, as always!


As you figured out earlier, I had not known about Maacos “time out” thing, at the time I posted his quote! So thanks for the info! (TBH, I’m usually spared the waiting for a response from him, anyway, he’s kinda reliable about that)!LOL😂


Ovi’s on a small cold spell, right now, but I haven’t checked deeply as to if it started when Oshie went 1st line! Eye and memory test seem to be leaning that way though!


Hopin for a Willie/Oshie flip!


Rush

[DC_1908]

Yeah Mick! Good point on Orpik option to scratch, but still mentor, if he can’t cut the mustard!
He’s always had those intangibles, that have served him well, in the past, helping him to keep some ice time!
Like you mention, we’ve got more young guys that are also making a good case for themselves! Part of Orpiks mentoring is to help get the youngins to where some of them actually are,  RIGHT NOW!
This inadvertently devalues some of what Orpik brings to the table for the team, as a whole!
He may have to perform at a higher level to keep his TOI, as a result! Time will tell, as always!


As you figured out earlier, I had not known about Maacos “time out” thing, at the time I posted his quote! So thanks for the info! (TBH, I’m usually spared the waiting for a response from him, anyway, he’s kinda reliable about that)!LOL


Ovi’s on a small cold spell, right now, but I haven’t checked deeply as to if it started when Oshie went 1st line! Eye and memory test seem to be leaning that way though!


Hopin for a Willie/Oshie flip!


Rush

This is the risk of an offense fist, if not only, system,  Cold spells happen, and can be contagious.  This results in taking more shots,  bad shots, and sloppy play.  Most of all, lack of attention to defense, and loss of intensity and focus.  This results in allowing 5+ goals and/or multiple goals in a short time


Anyone who’s followed this team for the past 15 years has seen this happen, MULTIPLE times,


Zealots don’t like to hear the reality that offense-first is solely emotional for fans, and dangerous to players.  When hot the team seems invencible, when cold they look like a struggling rec league team with a goalie that needs cut.

[alta]

lines have been fixed



https://russianmachineneverbreaks.com/2019/01/02/capitals-bring-back-stanley-cup-lines-ahead-of-three-game-road-trip/#more-312648

[Surreylily]

BRING BACK CHIMMER!