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:ovechkincup2:
(https://galactichub.com/caps/Capitals @ Lightning.gif)
Game 72: 91-42-22-7 (PTS-W-L-OT) Streak - W1
Thu Mar 14, 2019 Washington Capitals @ Tampa Bay Lightning
Place: Amalie Arena
Time: 7:00 p.m. ET
TV: NBCSWA, NHLN, SUN
Radio: 106.7 The Fan, Caps Radio 24/7 (http://tunein.com/radio/Caps-Radio-247-s231201/)
NHL.COM (https://www.nhl.com/gamecenter/2018021105) for Live Box Score
Last Game: Thu March 14 Capitals Won 5-2 against Flyers
Next Game: Tue Mar 19, 7:30 pm ET Capitals @ Devils
| :spacer50pix: 8-Ovechkin | :spacer50pix: 92-Kuznetsov | :spacer50pix: 43-Wilson |
| :spacer50pix: 13-Vrana | :spacer50pix: 19-Bäckström | :spacer50pix: 77-Oshie |
| :spacer50pix: 62-Hagelin | :spacer50pix: 20-Eller | :spacer50pix: 10-Connolly |
| :spacer50pix: 65-Burakovsky | :spacer50pix: 18-Stephenson | :spacer50pix: 72-Boyd |
| :spacer50pix: :spacer50pix: 6-Kempny | :spacer50pix: :spacer50pix: 74-Carlson |
| :spacer50pix: :spacer50pix: 9-Orlov | :spacer50pix: :spacer50pix: 2-Niskanen |
| :spacer50pix: :spacer50pix: 44-Orpik | :spacer50pix: :spacer50pix: 3-Jensen |
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| :spacer50pix::spacer50pix::spacer50pix::spacer50pix: 70-Holtby (starter) |
| :spacer50pix::spacer50pix::spacer50pix::spacer50pix: 1-Copley |
-- SCRATCH --
| :spacer50pix::spacer50pix::spacer50pix::spacer50pix: 23-Jaskin |
| :spacer50pix::spacer50pix::spacer50pix::spacer50pix: 26-Dowd |
| :spacer50pix::spacer50pix::spacer50pix::spacer50pix: 29-Djoos |
-- INJURED RESERVE --
| :spacer50pix::spacer50pix::spacer50pix::spacer50pix: |
-- 1st Powerplay Unit --
| :spacer50pix: 92-Kuznetsov | :spacer50pix: 19-Bäckström | :spacer50pix: 77-Oshie |
| :spacer50pix: :spacer50pix: 8-Ovechkin | :spacer50pix: :spacer50pix: 74-Carlson |
-- 2nd Powerplay Unit --
| :spacer50pix: 13-Vrana | :spacer50pix: 20-Eller | :spacer50pix: 43-Wilson |
| :spacer50pix: :spacer50pix: 2-Niskanen | :spacer50pix: :spacer50pix: 9-Orlov |
:spacer50pix: Referees: Kendrick Nicholson (#30), Kevin Pollock (#33)
:spacer50pix: Linesmen: Derek Amell (#75), Greg Devorski (#54)
LIGHTNING LINEUP
Ondrej Palat -- Steven Stamkos -- J.T. Miller
Tyler Johnson -- Brayden Point -- Nikita Kucherov
Alex Killorn -- Anthony Cirelli -- Mathieu Joseph
Adam Erne -- Cedric Paquette -- Yanni Gourde
Victor Hedman -- Mikhail Sergachev
Ryan McDonagh -- Erik Cernak
Braydon Coburn -- Jan Rutta
Andrei Vasilevskiy (starter)
Louis Domingue
Scratched: Ryan Callahan, Danick Martel
Injured: Dan Girardi (lower body), Anton Stralman (lower body)
(https://washingtoncapitalsfanforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fgalactichub.com%2Fcaps%2Fscoring_summary.gif&hash=a5539380153e9a0902e0b6fc1ce40d49d66becf2)
1st Period
08:35 Bolts GOAL Johnson, assists Point & Kucherov 1-0 TBL
10:33 Bolts GOAL Killorn, unassisted 2-0 TBL
12:06 GOAL 74-Carlson, assist 92-Kuznetsov 2-1 TBL
15:56 Bolts GOAL Killorn, assists Cirelli & Joseph 3-1 TBL
2nd Period
07:33 PP GOAL 8-Ovechkin, assists 77-Oshie & 74-Carlson 3-2 TBL
3rd Period
02:45 Bolts GOAL Cernak, assists McDonagh & Palat 4-2 TBL
12:56 GOAL 8-Ovechkin, assists 9-Orlov & 10-Connolly 4-3 TBL
19:13 Bolts EN GOAL Killorn, assist Kucherov 5-3 TBL
19:58 Bolts EN GOAL Gourde, unassisted 6-3 TBL
FINAL: 6-3 TBL
(https://russianmachineneverbreaks.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/rmnb-retina.png)
By Peter Hassett March 16, 2019 2:39 pm
Caps at Lightning pregame: Fight test
(https://i0.wp.com/russianmachineneverbreaks.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/kucherov-Dave-Reginek.jpg?fit=675%2C393&ssl=1)
Headline photo: NHL Tonight
The Washington Capitals have won seven of their last eight games, but that means nothing if they can’t beat the best. So here comes the best. The boys are in Tampa today to visit the best team in the NHL and maybe also the best team of the last two decades. The Bolts have the league’s leading point-scorer, a coach who should win the Jack Adams, and enough depth to punish teams who underestimate them. This is going to be a big test for the Caps.
The game begins at 7 PM, and fans who are taking their significant others out to Wine Kitchen for their birthday dinners can sneakily stream the game from their phones using the My Teams App. Chris Cerullo will have recap duty and also basically temporary dictatorial powers over all of RMNB, so look out.
(https://i2.wp.com/russianmachineneverbreaks.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/wsh.png?ssl=1)
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8)
Islanders lost to the Red Wings today! It seems the Caps are not the only team that play down to their opponent at times.
Also, the Penguins got crushed by the Blues today.
Flyers lost to the Leafs last night pretty much eliminating them from playoffs.
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"The boys are in Tampa today to visit the best team in the NHL and maybe also the best team of the last two decades." :huh: :yawn:
Please.. We about to thump these fools!!! :uh-huh: :raspberry:
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Tampa be like WTF!!!! :snicker:
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"The boys are in Tampa today to visit the best team in the NHL and maybe also the best team of the last two decades." :huh: :yawn:
Please.. We about to thump these fools!!! :uh-huh: :raspberry:
It would be nice to show them their place as we have done in last season playoffs :uh-huh:
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Now the Caps get into the crux of their tough end-of-the-season schedule. The big evening factor with the Caps relative to the teams behind them is that they haven't played Tampa yet, and have 3 games with them in the next two weeks. Two of them are at Tampa, and the 3rd is at home, but it is the 2nd of their last back-to-back of the season, and they will be at a rest disadvantage because Tampa will not have played the previous night. So these 3 are going to be difficult to say the least.
But the 3 teams right behind them all lost in the last 24 hours, so it's as if they all threw away the first of these 3 potential chances to make up ground on the Caps.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sgk4_Ja6gvk (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sgk4_Ja6gvk)
Back to Back???
:43d:
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Evening chaps.
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Evening chaps.
Howdy!
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Good start so far. I believe our boys are up for this battle.
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Where is everybody tonight?
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:O=
Holts could have had that
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:O=
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WTF with Holtby tonight?
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:O=
I KNEW Holtby made a mistake coming around behind the net at that time.
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Watch Wilson get about 5 games for that
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Whoooopsie! 8-0
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I must say that I credit Holts with giving them 1.5 goals so far. Not a good start for him.
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This sucks. You have to play a heavy forecheck game against these guys. Playing careful will be about a 7-0 loss.
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Holtby looks nervous so far..
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(https://galactichub.com/caps/Capitals_mascot-Lightning.png) :B:
:74:
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Ya baby!
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That's it. Start hitting and you score.
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pretty physical game so far
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We have to hit more in our own end, too. Too much pussy footing on the boards.
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This is insane :poop:
Holtby isn’t alright tonight
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:O=
FUCK! No help from Kuzy.
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Horrible play. Jensen looked like Green.
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this isn't going to end well if the Caps can't play defense
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Flatfooted, slow. We look like crap. Better wake up here.
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It’s PP!
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I must say that these alt jerseys for TBL look badass!
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Are you kidding me?!? :raised-eyebrow:
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They are a lot better than we are. They are going to be up 5-1 soon
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Fucking refs again. Conno's stick was grabbed and held.
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You know Conno, IF YOU’DA HIT THE SUMBITCH YOU WOULDNT HAVE GOTTIN A HOLDING STICK PENALTY!!!!
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Tremendous match , need to change our game plan otherwise it’s gonna be bad result for us tonight
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(https://galactichub.com/caps/Capitals_mascot-Lightning.png) :B:
:8pp:
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#47
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Yeah baby!. 8)
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It feels like we are playing ourselves. The teams are so similar.
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Evening all!
Looks like someone told TB they need to be more physical - 21 hits already. They are finsihing each and every check.
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WTF, Kuzy did not even touch him with his "slash". FUCK THE REFS!
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Refs.. :wackysmile:
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cheap ass call on Kuzy
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I'm going to buy a custom #92 jersey that says "LIABILITY" on the back because that's what he is
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:pk:
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McDonagh grabbed Oshie big time
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That was a much better period. :clap:
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Missing too many opportunities..
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Missing too many opportunities..
We did, but so did they. It's a really good game and Caps were quite the better team in the 2nd.
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:O=
Should have played Copley!
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Not Jensens best game.. (and yea, Holtby as well) :poop:
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How was that a hold?
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piss poor defense tonight
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piss poor defense tonight
I wouldn't go that far. TBL are very good and we haven't faced anything quite like them this season. I think we are well matched and the Caps will adjust to play them better. if not today, then by next game.
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(https://galactichub.com/caps/Capitals_mascot-Lightning.png) :B:
:8:
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#48
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:super:
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Cirelli needs his ass kicked
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half assed effort on that potential icing
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Good effort. Vrana should have tied it.
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Oh well. That's that then.
Night night peeps.
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:43d:
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I really liked this game. It could have gone either way.
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Off the post.. Another 5 spot GA.. :poop: Later..
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1st Period
08:35 Bolts GOAL Johnson, assists Point & Kucherov 1-0 TBL
10:33 Bolts GOAL Killorn, unassisted 2-0 TBL
12:06 GOAL 74-Carlson, assist 92-Kuznetsov 2-1 TBL
15:56 Bolts GOAL Killorn, assists Cirelli & Joseph 3-1 TBL
2nd Period
07:33 PP GOAL 8-Ovechkin, assists 77-Oshie & 74-Carlson 3-2 TBL
3rd Period
02:45 Bolts GOAL Cernak, assists McDonagh & Palat 4-2 TBL
12:56 GOAL 8-Ovechkin, assists 9-Orlov & 10-Connolly 4-3 TBL
19:13 Bolts EN GOAL Killorn, assist Kucherov 5-3 TBL
19:58 Bolts EN GOAL Gourde, unassisted 6-3 TBL
FINAL: 6-3 TBL
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Dude practically pulls a hammy to score another en goal, w/ 2 seconds left?? Remember that :poop: :uh-huh:
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It sucks we have to play the Devils the night before Tampa Bay comes to Capital One.
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I love that Willy gave a bloody lip with his gloves on. :uh-huh:
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Key to this game was the unfortunate bounce off Orlov. Tough to spot TB 2 goals in their barn. The soft defensive play from Jensen on Killorn's second goal was also a low point. On the flip side, Ovi seems to have broken out which is good for the stretch run and the PK was really excellent again with Hagelin having been a tremendous pickup for that unit. PP looked good on the one they scored on but failed miserably on the one they got late in the game with a chance to tie. Holts was good but could have been better on the second Killorn goal as well as Jensen. Overall, however, we are playing very good hockey and went toe to toe with a team that was trying to send a message at home. Could have gone either way with Vrana's late post. I'm reasonably pleased with the overall effort and thankful that the Blues and Wings gave us good help today.
Oops. Gotta modify this. I didn't see the 4th TB goal that went 5 hole on BH. Should've had that one but the D let him get way too low.
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Not as happy about this game as you guys. TB wanted it more and I am sick and tired of half-assed performances from some of our guys including Backstrom, Oshie, Kuzy, Eller, All season long we have had buys coasting and its time for our new coach to light a fire. We have way too many guys that are underperforming, the worst of which is Orlov, but Holtby is in there as well.
And one more thing - SHOOT THE PUCK!!!! We always have guys in the slot with good opportunities that look to pass. Rierdon - tell them to SHOOT and if they don't, sit them down.
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Not as happy about this game as you guys. TB wanted it more and I am sick and tired of half-assed performances from some of our guys including Backstrom, Oshie, Kuzy, Eller, All season long we have had buys coasting and its time for our new coach to light a fire. We have way too many guys that are underperforming, the worst of which is Orlov, but Holtby is in there as well.
And one more thing - SHOOT THE PUCK!!!! We always have guys in the slot with good opportunities that look to pass. Rierdon - tell them to SHOOT and if they don't, sit them down.
Except for the Kuzy and Holtby remark I couldn't disagree more. We played well. Jensen lost his balance there and I guarantee that won't happen again. Bolts had a couple really lucky bounces and they had three dives, two of which got them power plays. Refs definitely benefited the Bolts with typical crap calls. We also had some bad luck on good chances.
I will say it again. I liked this game and it could have gone either way.
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What does TR do with Kuzy - lackadaisical play and dumbass penalties. Don’t know where his mind is soemmetimes.
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Except for the Kuzy and Holtby remark I couldn't disagree more. We played well. Jensen lost his balance there and I guarantee that won't happen again. Bolts had a couple really lucky bounces and they had three dives, two of which got them power plays. Refs definitely benefited the Bolts with typical crap calls. We also had some bad luck on good chances.
I will say it again. I liked this game and it could have gone either way.
Maybe I was in a bad mood, but I saw a lot more effort from Tampa. I don't care about the lucky bounces and the calls that went against us, I would just like to see our guys be committed and aggressive for the whole game. My comment on the under-performers, was for tonight, but moreso for the season. I just think that we have guys that won the Cup and figure they can coast until they get in the playoffs, Maybe they are right....
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What does TR do with Kuzy - lackadaisical play and dumbass penalties. Don’t know where his mind is soemmetimes.
I think our coaches, including Trotz, have done a horrible job with Kuzy. He has the talent to be a 30 to 40 goal scorer and they continue to let him skate around and look to make passes. If they just sat him down every time he passed when he should shoot, that would fix the problem. If he got aggressive on his shooting, then teams would adjust and the passing lanes would open up more.
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I know it sounds terrible, but I'm just happy Ovi scored. I don't give a shit how the Caps do. Why? Because honestly I know there's 0% chance that the Caps win the Cup this year, so winning or losing games is irrelevant. Caps suck, period. They lose against bad teams and they lose against good teams. Granted, they have the talent on paper to win the Cup, absolutely. But with TR and the mental retardation / lack of effort from key players, we aren't in Cup winning mode.
And as such, asking for an Ovi 50+ goal season and Rocket Richard is really the only "consolation prize" we can get. And his 8th would be a special one, as it puts him in the record books as having the most goal scoring titles in NHL history. So if we aren't getting a Cup anyway, might as well root for the next best thing we can get.
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Maybe I was in a bad mood, but I saw a lot more effort from Tampa. I don't care about the lucky bounces and the calls that went against us, I would just like to see our guys be committed and aggressive for the whole game. My comment on the under-performers, was for tonight, but moreso for the season. I just think that we have guys that won the Cup and figure they can coast until they get in the playoffs, Maybe they are right....
I understand. I've had games where I felt like that when it wasn't justified. We'll see how they do next week. The trajectory of the team is inarguably upwards. I saw good effort from 90% of our guys tonight.
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Except for the Kuzy and Holtby remark I couldn't disagree more. We played well. Jensen lost his balance there and I guarantee that won't happen again. Bolts had a couple really lucky bounces and they had three dives, two of which got them power plays. Refs definitely benefited the Bolts with typical crap calls. We also had some bad luck on good chances.
I will say it again. I liked this game and it could have gone either way.
I agree, the team played well if not a couple unlucky goals and uncertain play by Holtby in 1 period we could have a win tonight.
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I understand. I've had games where I felt like that when it wasn't justified. We'll see how they do next week. The trajectory of the team is inarguably upwards. I saw good effort from 90% of our guys tonight.
The sad part is that "good effort from 90% of our guys" and "put up a fight against TB" is pretty much the high point of the season. That's good enough to do well in the regular season, but not good enough to win another Cup. We need to be firing on all cylinders. Last year we had some serious luck going for us. This year a lot of the key reasons why we won a Cup (for instance, Kuzy is trash right now) are not likely to come back unless they magically appear just in time. I agree that the team is trending upwards, but I fear it is too little too late. We had our "miracle on ice" last year, I wouldn't bet on it going in our favor again.
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I wasn't happy with the game last night. Tampa is playing for pride at this point, and they clearly showed more of it last night. The sequence that led to the empty netter was the epitome of the evening. That play should have been icing but the Caps let themselves get out skated.
Having said that, the Caps are exactly were they were at this time last year. But this year I'd say they have to finish first in their division. That would let shitsburgh and the islanders play each other in the round.
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You really can't account for shit bounces (orlov) or subpar goaltending, but the :poop: faceoff deal is now becoming my #1 concern.. I don't know how many GA's or Non GF's they account for, but they account for some.. Mainly on the PP/PK and not wasting/giving 30+ seconds of extra zone time for each lost draw.. It'll definitely show up when we play better (ie: playoff) caliber teams. Seems like there should be some drills or something they could do/practice to get better at it, but Ive seen no improvement? And we suck at it.. :uh-huh:
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What does TR do with Kuzy - lackadaisical play and dumbass penalties. Don’t know where his mind is soemmetimes.
Nothing. He has 45 assists and Ovie has 48 goals.
I really can’t think of any other “1st Line Center” on a defending or even serious Cup contending team that would keep his spot/moved to wing with <40% FO and the continued issues you mentioned above.
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You really can't account for shit bounces (orlov) or subpar goaltending, but the :poop: faceoff deal is now becoming my #1 concern.. I don't know how many GA's or Non GF's they account for, but they account for some.. Mainly on the PP/PK and not wasting/giving 30+ seconds of extra zone time for each lost draw.. It'll definitely show up when we play better (ie: playoff) caliber teams. Seems like there should be some drills or something they could do/practice to get better at it, but Ive seen no improvement? And we suck at it.. :uh-huh:
Agree. I don't know what they can do about it at this stage. I bet if they gave guys $1000 per faceoff won, that our percentage would go up significantly! Too many of our guys have a casual faceoff style where they pretty much stand up and then just throw then just kinda put their stick in there. Backstrom does it all the time and he is probably our best of the worst. Kuzy does it too. It just looks like they are giving it away. Beagle would get down, hunch over and look like he was ready to pounce - we need some of that.
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You really can't account for shit bounces (orlov) or subpar goaltending, but the :poop: faceoff deal is now becoming my #1 concern.. I don't know how many GA's or Non GF's they account for, but they account for some.. Mainly on the PP/PK and not wasting/giving 30+ seconds of extra zone time for each lost draw.. It'll definitely show up when we play better (ie: playoff) caliber teams. Seems like there should be some drills or something they could do/practice to get better at it, but Ive seen no improvement? And we suck at it.. :uh-huh:
A little late to the party, aren't you? I've been harping on this all year (to the point that some have probably found it annoying), after it was obvious that the organization wasn't going to replace Beagle's skill set. They pretty much replaced his PK work with Hagelin, but they weren't able to address the face-off situation. When Beagle was here, it was SOP that he was out there for face-offs in the defensive zone during penalties and in tight situations at the end of games. This team has NO ONE it can really count on to be consistently competitive in the face-off circle at crucial times.
And it isn't just WINNING face-offs that is the issue. Even the best face-off men are generally between 55 and 60 percent successful, which means for every 3, 4 or 5 face-offs they win, they lose 2, 3, or 4. It isn't just winning face-offs, IT'S HOW YOU LOSE THE ONES YOU LOSE. Beagle was always a fighter on face-offs, which means that even if he eventually lost it and the opponent was able to work the puck back toward the blue line, usually the guys defending in the slot were able to work their way through the picks that are routinely set by the other team and get back in the face of the puck receiver, so that the face-off win was not a clear, immediate, and dangerous advantage. Watching a guy like Kuzy routinely lose face-offs clean, causing the Caps to scramble and often resulting in clear shots or dangerous setups for the opposition , makes one appreciate how valuable a guy like Beagle was to this team.
That being said, I can certainly understand the difficulty the Caps were in trying to resign Beagle (which I don't think they ever seriously tried to do) and that they probably DIDN'T want to sign him for anything like the $3 million AAV he eventually got as a 33 year old. It's very easy for a guy like Beagle, who never had great physical tools other than a great motor, to lose the critical step that changes him from a valuable mucker to a not-sufficiently-competitive player who hurts you too much other than in the face-off circle to be worth even a mid-size contract. The problem is, the organization never looked to replace that skill; and you are right, it could absolutely kill them this season.
And I think you're right, the greater relative difficulty that the Caps are having on the PP is, I think, mostly due, not to the way their setup play functions, but rather, to the loss of zone time they suffer from losing face-offs and having the opposition in position to clear the puck more often. And secondarily, they are hurt by ANOTHER skill that they never replaced. That was MJ's skill in re-entering the zone and initiating their setup scheme. It seems to me that the team is having to repeatedly chase the puck back in their own zone more this season on the PP after misfiring entries, which also reduces time to work their setup.
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Nothing. He has 45 assists and Ovie has 48 goals.
I really can’t think of any other “1st Line Center” on a defending or even serious Cup contending team that would keep his spot/moved to wing with <40% FO and the continued issues you mentioned above.
Yes, Kuzy can generate assists and some of them are incredible. I think the issue is that he has the ability to do so much more. He can literally take over games and dominate and he can do it for multiple games in a row. We have seen him play games where he made the other team look like they were standing still and you would swear he was the top player in the league. He had a few games like that earlier in the year - lets just hope that he gets it back for the playoffs.
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Did anyone else notice how smart TB was on their penalty kills? There were several times that they played keep-away and killed a bunch of time. They were smart enough (and well coached) so they realize that when they have plenty of open ice that they can actually pass it backward and make us chase them before they send it down the ice. It has been a lost art in the NHL for a while and I would like to see the Caps get smarter on the PK.
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Yes, Kuzy can generate assists and some of them are incredible. I think the issue is that he has the ability to do so much more. He can literally take over games and dominate and he can do it for multiple games in a row. We have seen him play games where he made the other team look like they were standing still and you would swear he was the top player in the league. He had a few games like that earlier in the year - lets just hope that he gets it back for the playoffs.
Kuzy has said in interviews this season, in almost exactly the words, that he tries things in the regular season he wouldn't in the playoffs, and he isn't able to concentrate consistently in the same way as when the season is on the line in every game, every shift. Like it or not, that is part of his person: He is laid back and prone to concentration lapses that can look pretty egregious. That is disappointing, but it is also cause for hope, because it DOES suggest that he has another gear he can engage when the playoffs begin, AND he understands that he needs to engage that higher gear.
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Did anyone else notice how smart TB was on their penalty kills? There were several times that they played keep-away and killed a bunch of time. They were smart enough (and well coached) so they realize that when they have plenty of open ice that they can actually pass it backward and make us chase them before they send it down the ice. It has been a lost art in the NHL for a while and I would like to see the Caps get smarter on the PK.
Eh, Winnipeg did it to us a couple of times in our last home game. Teams do it when they have the chance. But you'd better make sure if you send the puck into your own zone that you can get it out when the pressure starts coming.
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Yes, Kuzy can generate assists and some of them are incredible. I think the issue is that he has the ability to do so much more. He can literally take over games and dominate and he can do it for multiple games in a row. We have seen him play games where he made the other team look like they were standing still and you would swear he was the top player in the league. He had a few games like that earlier in the year - lets just hope that he gets it back for the playoffs.
Sure, but on most teams contending, let alone defending a championship that just isn NOT good enough, and rightfully so. Regardless, the best player in the league is not a center with <40% faceoffs, doesn’t play PK, and still doesn’t score 30 goals, not just a pretty skater I’m a league that handcuffs defenseman.
Even at his best, he isn’t Bergeron, Towes, Kopitar, and certainly not Nick by longshot.
Whether or not he will develop into an elite player or not remains to be seen, but he has long way to go. He may be on Ovies line, but as long as Nicks here, he will be The Caps #2 at best.
In the mean time, he simply needs to be better and not just think he can be.
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Kuzy has said in interviews this season, in almost exactly the words, that he tries things in the regular season he wouldn't in the playoffs, and he isn't able to concentrate consistently in the same way as when the season is on the line in every game, every shift. Like it or not, that is part of his person: He is laid back and prone to concentration lapses that can look pretty egregious. That is disappointing, but it is also cause for hope, because it DOES suggest that he has another gear he can engage when the playoffs begin, AND he understands that he needs to engage that higher gear.
And suggests hell listen to a PR coach, not to mention reeks of overconfidence. Particularly after 66 games of being a defending Stanley Cup Champion.
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I thought the Caps effort was better than the score. The bad bounce of Orlov was a killer, and just that... a bad bounce. Holtby wasn't stellar, not even great. He did make some really good saves throughout the game, but also some fairly soft goals. The play on Jensen...meh, he lost his footing and Holtby probably should have played that better. I am not all that distraught over the outcome. Yes, disappointing and our effort could have been better, but when you add up the bad bounces, the bullshit penalties, and the less than stellar goaltending, you are going to lose to the best team on the planet. Not the Caps very best effort (which is a typical complaint), but I think the Caps showed they could hang with this team. They need to get a few more things clicking (Kuzy needs to show up and Holtby needs to play better), but overall, I think we could hang with them.
I was surprised we were even in it after it was 2-0 in the first. This game really could have gone either way when it was 2-1. Caps were in it for most of the game. Take away the one bad bounce off Orlov and this could have really been a game.
No, I am not satisfied with losing, and just being okay with not 100% effort, but I think Tampa is a better team, so I am not all that surprised or overly disappointed. When things go their way, they are going to win. I thought Tampa was the better team last year too, but we see what that got them.
I don't think the Caps are truly a SC dominating team, but I don't think they were last year either. I think they came together at the right time, got fortunate bounces that altered series, managed to overcome much adversity and win key games, getting help from unexpected heroes, and had some stellar goaltending. That's what it takes. Caps played really well in the playoffs last year, but they also narrowly skated by several series that could have easily gone either way. I honestly think if the Caps play at their best they can beat anybody, but I also think they do not get by Tampa this year. Please Caps, prove me wrong. I do seem to recall that nearly record setting President's cup winning teams have been beaten in the playoffs before ;)
Go Caps.