Washington Capitals Fan Forum
Talk about Capitals hockey & more! => Washington Capitals & Other Hockey Discussion => Topic started by: KitFisto on Friday April 20, 2018, 04:28:33 PM Eastern
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You can't lose 3 straight on home ice and then pin your hopes to winning a 3rd straght road game to extend the series. I see game 5 as an absolute MUST win. I expect CBJ to come out very intense for the first 5-10 min and the Caps better match it and not go into "survive the storm" mode. ATTACK, ATTACK AND ATTACK!
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You can't lose 3 straight on home ice and then pin your hopes to winning a 3rd straght road game to extend the series. I see game 5 as an absolute MUST win. I expect CBJ to come out very intense for the first 5-10 min and the Caps better match it and not go into "survive the storm" mode. ATTACK, ATTACK AND ATTACK!
Yep, but expect to see two different teams than last game . . .
CBJ is gonna be pissed, and The Caps can be prone to over confidence after a strong win.
More important than being up 3-2, it’s if they’re gonna be “the same old Caps” or not
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Exactly DC. The Caps kill me in these games because the compete level is set to "relax" after an impressive win.
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Maybe Holtby can win the game for us. He has been very sharp since replacing Grubauer.
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Maybe Holtby can win the game for us. He has been very sharp since replacing Grubauer.
It may just be that after several years of being The Man in net, Holtby was drained and due for a down cycle. Now that he got a break, he may be fresher and in a sense readier to carry the load in the playoffs than he has been the past couple of years. We'll see.
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It may just be that after several years of being The Man in net, Holtby was drained and due for a down cycle. Now that he got a break, he may be fresher and in a sense readier to carry the load in the playoffs than he has been the past couple of years. We'll see.
The break was fine during the regular season but unacceptable for the playoffs. He is our franchise goaltender, ride him in the playoffs. Don't start your backup because he got on a hot streak against a lot of weak teams in the regular season. Made no sense to me at all. Then going back to him in game 2 was just fricken ridiculous.
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The break was fine during the regular season but unacceptable for the playoffs. He is our franchise goaltender, ride him in the playoffs. Don't start your backup because he got on a hot streak against a lot of weak teams in the regular season. Made no sense to me at all. Then going back to him in game 2 was just fricken ridiculous.
No clue who will be or should be the starter. I am a big Holtby supporter and I do think he is the better of the 2 but I can't ignore the fact that Grubauer is in a hot streak.
We were all just wanting the best for the team. At the time it was the best choice to start Grubauer. As you said, it was hard to ignore he was running hot. Holtby had been pretty rough, which didn't feel good to anyone.
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We were all just wanting the best for the team. At the time it was the best choice to start Grubauer. As you said, it was hard to ignore he was running hot. Holtby had been pretty rough, which didn't feel good to anyone.
So what. I know he got on a hot streak. And I was concerned wit Holtbys play. I still wouldn't have started Grubauer in the playoffs. We had a poll on who we thought should start the playoffs. I voted for Holtby all the way. I think one other person voted the same as me. I assume it was DC.
Ajr if you read all of my posts about Grubauer since I have been here than you know I am not a supporter of him. I have commented numerous times that he isn't a good technical goalie. I've also commented that since he has been in the NHL he has played against a lot of weaker teams and his numbers are inflated because of it. I guess you would call him a sheltered goaltender.
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So what. I know he got on a hot streak. And I was concerned wit Holtbys play. I still wouldn't have started Grubauer in the playoffs. We had a poll on who we thought should start the playoffs. I voted for Holtby all the way. I think one other person voted the same as me. I assume it was DC.
Ajr if you read all of my posts about Grubauer since I have been here than you know I am not a supporter of him. I have commented numerous times that he isn't a good technical goalie. I've also commented that since he has been in the NHL he has played against a lot of weaker teams and his numbers are inflated because of it. I guess you would call him a sheltered goaltender.
I was just pointing out your quote.
"No clue who will be or should be the starter. I am a big Holtby supporter and I do think he is the better of the 2 but I can't ignore the fact that Grubauer is in a hot streak."
So you can't really claim to have been 100% against it all the way.
It doesn't even matter . . . except to you for some reason.
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I was just pointing out your quote.
"No clue who will be or should be the starter. I am a big Holtby supporter and I do think he is the better of the 2 but I can't ignore the fact that Grubauer is in a hot streak."
So you can't really claim to have been 100% against it all the way.
It doesn't even matter . . . except to you for some reason.
I know exactly what I said. Those comments did not say anything about me hinting that Grubauer should start. I also said in another post that I would start Holtby but said it could be dead wrong. It was 100% my opinion that Holtby should start the playoffs. You may remember when everyone was jumping on the Grubauer bandwagon that I didn't. I said over and over that Holtby is our guy and Grubauer was a backup that filled in admirably.
Sure when Holtby couldn't stop a beachball I was defibnately concerned but I never thought once that Grubauer should be our starter.
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:clown:
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And in last night's games, neither Pittsburgh nor Nashville could close out at home. That very much surprised me. Now they will need to close out on the road or face a game 7. Watch out for Winnipeg, folks.
As for the Caps/Jackets series, frankly, if the Caps had started Holtby and he had not been the answer at the beginning of the series, I'd bet a lot of folks here would be yelling just the opposite -- "Starting Holtby was wrong; have to go with the demonstrably hot hand. What we've done for a decade hasn't worked, why didn't we try something different from the get-go?"
Armchair quarterbacking is so easy.
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And in last night's games, neither Pittsburgh nor Nashville could close out at home. That very much surprised me. Now they will need to close out on the road or face a game 7. Watch out for Winnipeg, folks.
As for the Caps/Jackets series, frankly, if the Caps had started Holtby and he had not been the answer at the beginning of the series, I'd bet a lot of folks here would be yelling just the opposite -- "Starting Holtby was wrong; have to go with the demonstrably hot hand. What we've done for a decade hasn't worked, why didn't we try something different from the get-go?"
Armchair quarterbacking is so easy.
:rofl:
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And in last night's games, neither Pittsburgh nor Nashville could close out at home. That very much surprised me. Now they will need to close out on the road or face a game 7. Watch out for Winnipeg, folks.
As for the Caps/Jackets series, frankly, if the Caps had started Holtby and he had not been the answer at the beginning of the series, I'd bet a lot of folks here would be yelling just the opposite -- "Starting Holtby was wrong; have to go with the demonstrably hot hand. What we've done for a decade hasn't worked, why didn't we try something different from the get-go?"
Armchair quarterbacking is so easy.
I said I would have started Holtby but said I could be dead wrong. I feel a team should start their franchise goalie in the playoffs and if he falters make the switch then.
I know Grubauer was on a hot streak but a good portion of his success came against weak teams. He didn't beat many top tier teams. And no one has ever once said anything about him getting a bit lucky. I have seen goalies have great during a game but if you watch the game you would see the goalie really didn't play that well. Grubauer had quite a few games like that this season. He had some games where he was very weak technically. Being out of position and giving up a lot of bad rebounds but was lucky the other team could bury more shots by him. Either missing the net or not being able to jump on a loose puck. A lot of that had to do with some if the teams he played against. He had 3 starts against the Sabres. His best game of the season was late in the season against the Pens. I think that was probably when the decision was made to start him in the playoffs. Sorry guys but I really don't think Grubauer is the answer. I also think Grubauer starting in the playoffs and struggling a bit may have hurt his confidence. It may have also affected his trade value.
You may remember a few years ago when Ottawa started a hot Hammond over Anderson and he shit the bed too. Anderson came in after they were down 2 games to zero and made a series of it but couldn't make the comeback. In 3 seasons since then Hammond has done absolutely nothing. Although he started for Colorado last night and beat Nashville. To get into the lineup he needed injuries to the guys ahead of him. Is the situation with Grubauer a lot different? Both got on a hot streak late in the season in limited games. Is Grubauers career going to head in the same direction?
I think it would have been better for the team and Grubauer if Holtby started the playoffs. If Holtby failed and was replaced by Grubauer he could have been a savior but not the goat. There would have been a lot less pressure on Grubauer if he came in relief. Instead they out pressure on him by starting him for the first 2 games of the series. And now the pressure is on Holtby to bail this team out of a hole.
Sorry for ranting a bit. My opinion on Grubauer is a lot different than most people here. I didn't jump on the bandwagon because I really don't think he is starter material. I never did. I've always compared him to Michael Neuvirth. An adequate backup.
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I said I would have started Holtby but said I could be dead wrong. I feel a team should start their franchise goalie in the playoffs and if he falters make the switch then.
I know Grubauer was on a hot streak but a good portion of his success came against weak teams. He didn't beat many top tier teams. And no one has ever once said anything about him getting a bit lucky. I have seen goalies have great during a game but if you watch the game you would see the goalie really didn't play that well. Grubauer had quite a few games like that this season. He had some games where he was very weak technically. Being out of position and giving up a lot of bad rebounds but was lucky the other team could bury more shots by him. Either missing the net or not being able to jump on a loose puck. A lot of that had to do with some if the teams he played against. He had 3 starts against the Sabres. His best game of the season was late in the season against the Pens. I think that was probably when the decision was made to start him in the playoffs. Sorry guys but I really don't think Grubauer is the answer. I also think Grubauer starting in the playoffs and struggling a bit may have hurt his confidence. It may have also affected his trade value.
You may remember a few years ago when Ottawa started a hot Hammond over Anderson and he shit the bed too. Anderson came in after they were down 2 games to zero and made a series of it but couldn't make the comeback. In 3 seasons since then Hammond has done absolutely nothing. Although he started for Colorado last night and beat Nashville. To get into the lineup he needed injuries to the guys ahead of him. Is the situation with Grubauer a lot different? Both got on a hot streak late in the season in limited games. Is Grubauers career going to head in the same direction?
I think it would have been better for the team and Grubauer if Holtby started the playoffs. If Holtby failed and was replaced by Grubauer he could have been a savior but not the goat. There would have been a lot less pressure on Grubauer if he came in relief. Instead they out pressure on him by starting him for the first 2 games of the series. And now the pressure is on Holtby to bail this team out of a hole.
Sorry for ranting a bit. My opinion on Grubauer is a lot different than most people here. I didn't jump on the bandwagon because I really don't think he is starter material. I never did. I've always compared him to Michael Neuvirth. An adequate backup.
A tiny bit ironic that you compare Grubauer to Neuwirth -- who Philly brought in last night to face the Pens with their season on the line, and shut them down. Think for a moment: Where is the real pressure? Starting at the beginning of the playoffs, or being brought in for an elimination game -- win or go home?
I think if you look at Neuvirth's career stats, they are pretty consistently a notch behind Grubauer's. And I did an evaluation of Grubauer's games this year that showed that overall, he played just slightly less than a "representative" schedule (percent of his games that were against playoff teams versus percent of the Caps' entire schedule that was against playoff teams). This myth that Grubauer played the bulk of his games against lesser teams is just that - a myth. And let's remember that at least at the beginning of the season he was getting the garbage assignments - the back end of back-to-backs. He still was 3/4 of a goal per game better than Holtby for the season. I also said earlier that I was fine with either goalie starting -- I could support the organization whatever they decided.
I suspect that people on this board may think that I am a Grubauer homeboy or a Holtby skeptic. Nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, when this season started I had latched on to Holtby as my #1 fan interest and hoped-for success this year. Why? Because in the history of the NHL no goalie had ever had 4 consecutive 40-win seasons, and Holtby had the previous 3 under his belt. I figured 40 wins was going to be a tougher slog this year because the team figured to have less success than the previous few years, but I thought he could do it. And he did -- for about 2/3 of the season. At 27/28 wins he was on pace to win more than 40. And then it all came apart, which was my biggest disappointment of the season.
When the playoffs started I was fine with either goalie starting, but I thought there might be one small benefit to starting Grubauer, which had nothing to do with the goaltenders and everything to do with management. And that was, if Grubauer struggled it is an easy switch to revert to your franchise goaltender early; whereas if they started Holtby and he struggled they might go with him longer because of his reputation and give themselves less of a chance to turn things around before being bounced. And so it was: The switch was made after 5 periods, when the Caps still had an excellent chance to win game 2. It turned out that Holtby didn't win that game for them, but he's won the next 2, so here we are, in pretty much the same competitive situation we've been in during many of our playoff series over the last several years. Somehow our series are never clear, decisive affairs -- it's almost always a struggle right to the end. I think the highest-probability outcome for this series is that it goes 7 games once again, which is the same outcome we've seen over and over with Holtby in the net the entire way. It isn't at all clear to me that if Holtby had started the series the situation would have been much different on Saturday, April 21, at noon.
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My comparison to Neuvirth is nothing new. I've been comparing him to Neuvirth since I joined this site. And I didn't compare their numbers because they played on 2 totally different style teams. Neuvirth didn't play in Trotzs system which was a lot better defensively than the system before that. I base the comparison by watching them play. I don't think either guy has what it takes to be a starting NHL goalie. Neither are great technically. There are adequate backups. Like I said I didn't jump on the bandwagon because I honestly thought it was just a flukey hit streak.
Sorry guys but I really don't think Grubauer is a very good goalie. If he can do it on a more consistent and more regular basis I might change my tune.
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And in last night's games, neither Pittsburgh nor Nashville could close out at home. That very much surprised me. Now they will need to close out on the road or face a game 7. Watch out for Winnipeg, folks.
As for the Caps/Jackets series, frankly, if the Caps had started Holtby and he had not been the answer at the beginning of the series, I'd bet a lot of folks here would be yelling just the opposite -- "Starting Holtby was wrong; have to go with the demonstrably hot hand. What we've done for a decade hasn't worked, why didn't we try something different from the get-go?"
Armchair quarterbacking is so easy.
I don't think armchair quarterbacking is all that easy, but Monday morning quarterbacking can make people either look like a genius or an ass, depending on how they present themselves
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Nothing like being benched to focus your mind and it seems like that may have happened with Holtby. He looked calm with a minimum of movement in both games in Columbus. Hopefully it continues. The Caps have grabbed the momentum and should really win the next two if they want to go into the Pens series on a roll. I expect the Pens will also focus their minds and dispatch the Flyers in Game 6.
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Lol this is the one decision Trotz has made that I have disagreed with. People complained about guys like Burakovsky,Vrana, Gersich or Djoos not being in the lineup at times. Those decisions were fine by me because he was sitting a high risk player. With the goaltenders he went with the higher risk option. Unusual for Trotz to take chances like that.
In the end we really don't know four sure how things would have played out.
I'm gonna try and let this go but if the Caps do lose this series I doubt I will be able to do that.
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Nothing like being benched to focus your mind and it seems like that may have happened with Holtby. He looked calm with a minimum of movement in both games in Columbus. Hopefully it continues. The Caps have grabbed the momentum and should really win the next two if they want to go into the Pens series on a roll. I expect the Pens will also focus their minds and dispatch the Flyers in Game 6.
and that is the crux of the problem, I'd rather watch this team lose to CBus knowing they did far far better than anyone predicted in September than watch them lose to the filthy fowl yet again. But if they continue to play like G3 & G4, and can improve a bit, I can actually see a possibility
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and that is the crux of the problem, I'd rather watch this team lose to CBus knowing they did far far better than anyone predicted in September than watch them lose to the filthy fowl yet again. But if they continue to play like G3 & G4, and can improve a bit, I can actually see a possibility
The danger is us beating CBJs, loosing in the next round, and pouring the Kool Aid while saying “we have a chance next year” . . . Like has been done for the past 10
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Just love NBC... They've got the Lightning on NBC and "regional coverage" listed for NBCSN. Regional coverage meaning the Lightning AND Caps games.. So what do they do? Blackout NBCSN in Florida.. lol :poop:
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No matter what happens in this series, I think they've played the goalie situation well. Gruby was hot and played decent in the first game. Had holtby came in in game 2 and played terrible. Gruby would have started game 3. Holtby probably looked at himself in the mirror and knew he had to be ready when given the opportunity because it was more than likely going to happen at some point in this series and he's risen to the occasion so far. He's the main reason we won game 5 and he looks to be back to his old self. If he continues to play lights out, we'll be tough to beat next round after watching the goaltending in the pens series. Murray looked pretty shaky this afternoon and hasn't been the shutdown playoff goalie of the last two years.
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No matter what happens in this series, I think they've played the goalie situation well. Gruby was hot and played decent in the first game. Had holtby came in in game 2 and played terrible. Gruby would have started game 3. Holtby probably looked at himself in the mirror and knew he had to be ready when given the opportunity because it was more than likely going to happen at some point in this series and he's risen to the occasion so far. He's the main reason we won game 5 and he looks to be back to his old self. If he continues to play lights out, we'll be tough to beat next round after watching the goaltending in the pens series. Murray looked pretty shaky this afternoon and hasn't been the shutdown playoff goalie of the last two years.
We have more of an uphill struggle against the Pens this year because, frankly, we don't have as good a team as we had the past couple of years. I think winning the game tonight and closing this out is really important to whatever chances we do have, because, game 7 goblins aside, we got a relative break when the Flyers were able to take Pittsburgh to 6 games. We need to have comparable rest to the Pens, which we will get if we can close out this series tonight.
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We have more of an uphill struggle against the Pens this year because, frankly, we don't have as good a team as we had the past couple of years. I think winning the game tonight and closing this out is really important to whatever chances we do have, because, game 7 goblins aside, we got a relative break when the Flyers were able to take Pittsburgh to 6 games. We need to have comparable rest to the Pens, which we will get if we can close out this series tonight.
that Rock The Red Kool Aids tasting good isn't it?
"Everybody to the pavilion please. . ."
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"Everybody to the pavilion please. . ."
:lol:
there’s a stack of red solo cups, let me get the ladle
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=BKZqGJONH68
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:lol:
there’s a stack of red solo cups, let me get the ladle
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=BKZqGJONH68 (https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=BKZqGJONH68)
And for that stack:
https://youtu.be/quGBsaaHtQY (https://youtu.be/quGBsaaHtQY)
For the record, I’m pointing to reference, not the suicde/murder/mind control experiment done after a Senator was shot. . . So this gets the point across w/out showing the details and body counts
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We have more of an uphill struggle against the Pens this year because, frankly, we don't have as good a team as we had the past couple of years. I think winning the game tonight and closing this out is really important to whatever chances we do have, because, game 7 goblins aside, we got a relative break when the Flyers were able to take Pittsburgh to 6 games. We need to have comparable rest to the Pens, which we will get if we can close out this series tonight.
Here is an alternative way to look at us being 'not as good' as in the past. Maybe that is what we need to light a fire under some asses and get them to actually play playoff hockey. In the past everyone had a bit too much of the big head and thought they could just roll out there and the wins would just magically come. Having to work a bit and grind a bit might be just what this group needed. If that doesn't work there better be some wholesale changes this off season.
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Here is an alternative way to look at us being 'not as good' as in the past. Maybe that is what we need to light a fire under some asses and get them to actually play playoff hockey. In the past everyone had a bit too much of the big head and thought they could just roll out there and the wins would just magically come. Having to work a bit and grind a bit might be just what this group needed. If that doesn't work there better be some wholesale changes this off season.
this had occurred to me a couple months ago, but I'm not convinced that attitude lasted more than five games, and that was in February
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this had occurred to me a couple months ago, but I'm not convinced that attitude lasted more than five games, and that was in February
I had the same thought, but in the end less talent with the same leadership is just less talent with the same leadership.