8-Ovechkin | 19-Bäckström | 43-Wilson |
13-Vrana | 92-Kuznetsov | 77-Oshie |
62-Hagelin | 20-Eller | 14-Panik |
28-Leipsic | 26-Dowd | 21-Hathaway |
:spacer50pix: 6-Kempny | 74-Carlson |
:spacer50pix: 9-Orlov | 3-Jensen |
:spacer50pix: 34-Siegenthaler | 33-Gudas |
:spacer50pix::spacer50pix: 70-Holtby (starter) |
:spacer50pix::spacer50pix: 30-Samsonov |
:spacer50pix::spacer50pix: 72-Boyd |
:spacer50pix::spacer50pix: None |
13-Vrana | 19-Bäckström | 77-Oshie |
:spacer50pix: 8-Ovechkin | :spacer50pix: 74-Carlson |
20-Eller | 92-Kuznetsov | 43-Wilson |
:spacer50pix: 28-Leipsic | :spacer50pix: 9-Orlov |
I am looking forward to seeing how the PP looks with Vrana moving up to the 1st unit. Another thing I think we will see based on what I saw at practice yesterday is that the 2nd unit is going to come in sooner than previously and that Ovechkin and Carlson will stay on the ice and play with 2nd unit composed of Kuzy, Wilson and Eller.
Hi chaps. :wackysmile:Hello Lil!
Hello Lil!
:-|
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I think Willy needs to have a talk with Simonds
And of course, :poop:
5-Holeby
Say it with me... "Sam-so-nov" !! WTF are they waiting for? Holby just isn't capable of being sharp a full 60 minutes, at the moment.. I mean are they worried about hurt feelings? I don't get it. :huh: Need to look for a deadline replacement for Jensen as well..Holtby should be :30:
it's been a very long time since I've heard boo birds at the Cap centerIt was bound to come soon. The Capitals look awful!
Can we stop fucking thinking of Holtby as a starting goalie. Seriously. Fans, coaching staff, everyone. Stop thinking he's the incumbent starter just because he has a Vezina and a Cup. Start with a clean slate, let the two goalies earn their starts. And right now it's Sammy who's earned it.
Not saying this is 100% Holtby's fault. But a supposed Vezina/Cup winner shouldn't be letting up 3 goals on ~15 shots. He's paid enough to be well above .900. He's paid to keep us in games when we're sucking. He's paid to steal games on occasion. He's done NONE of that.
The entire team looks like crap. There is an attitude problem or something. Why can't they arrive at the game motivated? Why does it seem they need some switch flipped at some point during game to get going?
switch goalies
The tin foil hat in me wonders if the team doesn't have faith in Holts. You know how teams play piss poor "on purpose" sometimes when they have a shit coach, and then suddenly start putting together wins with a new less experienced coach?
You wonder why we win when Sammy starts and struggle when Holtby starts...
I think I am going to make a capitals logo with a chicken in place of the Eagle :snicker:
it's speculation unless you have an ear in the lockerrroom, I don't disagree though
I expect an egg, maybe two per season from any team. But this is looking like the 3rd, and 2 in a row. Not good
Because Holts doesn’t give two collective fucks about this team. I won’t be surprised if he wants to be moved at the deadline and not go into the playoffs with Capsz
The tin foil hat in me wonders if the team doesn't have faith in Holts. You know how teams play piss poor "on purpose" sometimes when they have a shit coach, and then suddenly start putting together wins with a new less experienced coach?
You wonder why we win when Sammy starts and struggle when Holtby starts...
if Reirdon doesn't start Sammy in the 3rd he should be firedSince the team overall sucks tonight and Holts made a couple good saves near the end of the 2nd period I doubt they will bench Holtby. I'm more concerned with the team as a whole just not having anything going right.
Since the team overall sucks tonight and Holts made a couple good saves near the end of the 2nd period I doubt they will bench Holtby. I'm more concerned with the team as a whole just not having anything going right.
I was also thinking about the recent discussion, including at the start of this broadcast, about who the number one goalie for the Caps is. It would have been rough benching Holts without damn good reason today.
goalies have been changed when it’s not necessarily their fault, it’s to send a message to the rest of the team
I'll say it again. WE NEED TO GET HOLTBY THE FUCK OUT OF THE STARTING POSITION.Again, it’s not that Holtby is washed up worthless and never was to begin with, with or without his coach. It’s assuredly that he doesn’t want to be here anymore, and who can blame him?
Holtby: 32 GP, 18-9-4, .899 SV%, 3.02 GAA
Samsonov: 16 GP, 12-2-1, .921 SV%, 2.24 GAA
Now I understand that Samsonov hasn't played enough games for it to be a significant enough sample size. I also understand that Samsonov, in his limited time in the NHL, hasn't done much to prove he is better or can be better than Holtby in his prime (i.e. Vezina caliber Holtby). There's nothing that tells us Samsonov will be the next Vezina and Cup winning goalie. But Holtby has done JACK SHIT to prove that he deserves to keep his starting spot. He's riding on the coattails of his Vezina/Cup wins. That's it. He's the employee who rolls into work 4 hours late and just sits there doing nothing. And when his co-workers ask why he's being a lard ass, he just pulls out his resume and says "that's why."
DC - You say there's no planet where Samsonov in his limited time in the NHL has proven to be better than an established veteran like Holtby? Okay I'll give you that. Samsonov COULD be better one day but we're going to need to see a lot more games out of him to begin to judge. But there's also no fucking universe where less than .900 SV% and more than 3.00 GAA is considered good for an NHL goalie, much less a goalie making $6-7 million this year, and on track to make $10 million.
Several days ago when we were playing the Sharks, everyone was talking about how much of a shit goalie Martin Jones was. Well Jones has an .890 SV% and 3.19 GAA. That's not far off from where Holtby is. But we are also SUBSTANTIALLY better than the Sharks as a team. And that's the thing...Holtby is in the bottom 20% (roughly) of the league in terms of SV% and GAA, but he's on a team that's best in the league. We're winning despite Holtby, not because of Holtby.
Now I also understand that SV% and GAA aren't everything. Maybe they're almost as useless as +/-, I don't know. But let's not pretend they don't mean anything at all here. Samsonov has been solid. He hasn't been lights out stand on his head brilliant. He hasn't stolen the starting job from Holtby, as much as Holtby has lost it with his poor play. But Samsonov has earned a chance, much like Grubauer earned his chance a few years ago. Worse case scenario, Samsonov also goes through some rough patches and we cycle Holtby in to see if he's gotten his shit together. Best case scenario, Samsonov plays well for us and/or Holtby finds his game again come playoff time.
Again, it’s not that Holtby is washed up worthless and never was to begin with, with or without his coach. It’s assuredly that he doesn’t want to be here anymore, and who can blame him?
I will say this till I’m blue in the face!!
Generally speaking, the Washington Capitals, probably the team with the most elite, overall, talent in the league, on paper, DO NOT play at their superior level, when they DON’T FEEL LIKE IT, and DON’T HAVE TO!! PERIOD!!!
If you simply insert this theory, at the proper time, every season, from the time that Trotz arrived, and turned this team into an unbeatable machine, when the players CHOOSE to all buy in, up to the present team under Rierden, (same great overall team talent), then things COMPLETELY make sense,
and you can practically PREDICT what’s going to happen, IF, a few certain CONDITIONS are met!
You can almost LIST THEM, and then know the general expectations!
Here are a few conditions, first, that preclude, when we then witness intermittent, low energy games, that frustrate us and appear to defy all logic:
1) We have passed at least the first 1/3 of the season, where the first signs of boredom, and complacency, are potentially possible!
2) We’ve worked hard, early on, to be in 1st place in our division!
3) When we are FAR ahead in points, to the 2nd place teams points, either by Metro div.,Eastern conf.,or maybe even the ENTIRE league!
4) Thus, the atmosphere exists, and that beast WILL SHOW its ugly, prideful, head!!
This has been the fucking same repeated pattern, every season since Trotz arrived, and although I thought we may have started to begin shedding this damn pervasive SPELL, that comes upon us every year… WE HAVEN’T!!
Oh, don’t worry fans!
The boys WILL remain atop the division! (They’ll monitor it carefully!)
The boys WILL make the playoffs, no problem!
For the 1000th time, they will DIAL IT IN, WHEN THEY FEEL LIKE IT!
Rierden is IMPOTENT, to stop it!!
Hell...TROTZ, himself, could only barely manage it, most of the time, and TROTZ, represents THE PINNACLE of coaches, who have an uncanny ability to get the MAXIMUM effort, from even lesser talented players! Look what he did with the Islanders! THIS IS HIS FORTE, and even HE couldn’t crack this phenomenon!
Let’s not forget that this issue, on the one hand, is actually a LUXURY, to have for ANY cities’ hockey team! It’s been a rare occurrence throughout NHL history, for a city to have a team that is SO GOOD, that they can actually afford to let off the gas, when they get complacent, and still dominate their division, and make the playoffs… GUARANTEED!!
On the other hand, it REAKS of the attitude of SPOILED, SISSY, CHILDREN, Who actually have it ALL, and instead of being appreciative, take advantage of the loyalty and unique admiration, heaped upon them by millions of their fans, WHO, by the way, are the entire reason they’ve been blessed with a one-in-a-million, opportunity of a lifetime!!
For you fans that can “roll with that”, and be accepting of it, without complaint, Well then,... I sincerely applaud, your ability to “grow with the times”, and actually respect your ability to be at peace with it!
My old ass CAN’T, and probably never will!! But I’ll still be a fan, because I’m smart enough to know that I can’t do a damn thing about it!!
You may notice, that when I gripe about our Caps, especially when they start having a bad spell, you will see me get quite vocal about my frustration, in a stomp my feet kind of way!
However MY complaints, are about individuals, and coaches, and team attitude, but all the while, I never, have thoughts that the sky is falling for the season on the CAPS!
[size=78%]I know they’re fucking complacent asses all too well!! And I get damn resentful at them!![/size]
All the while knowing they will most likely again, finish first in the Metro, and make the playoffs! (OH, they’ll make DAMN sure of that!)
I will also be there FERVENTLY rooting them on!
But boy, I hate paying the price of being a fan of these guys, during this part of the season!!
Rush
As bad as the guys have looked, the biggest problem this team has is standing behind the bench. It's clear that Rierden just writes out the lineup, tinkers with the lines a bit and that's it. He has no clue how to discipline a lazy and careless team. A good coach would only need to see about two of those 80' stretch passes in one game to read the riot act to them. Yet, they've been doing that for weeks 5-6 times a game. That's a sign of laziness, of guys not skating and of guys not backchecking. Trotz would have fixed that instantly. Same with the confused, panicky play in our own zone. Rierden simply doesn't have what it takes, regardless of the current record. This team will be one and done again as things now stand.
I tell you what I'd do, even with the team in first place. I'd send a message by unloading Rierden and hiring a guy like Alan May. He always makes insightful comments on the team and quickly diagnoses what they are doing wrong. He's an old school guy who would command a lot more respect than Mr. Magoo back there. Of course, that would be bold and boldness is frowned on in most professional sports organizations.
I disagree with your timing, Club Kettler started long before Trotz was here
Good point, Alta. You’re probably right!
We could all probably go back to 2010, with Montreal in the first round of the playoffs, or even before.
Yes, the same phenomena, can be observed, even prior to Barry Trotz.
I chose him as a starting point, simply because the argument could be made that if anybody could’ve ended this teams culture issues, it would have been HIM!
And even HE had minimal success with it, that’s how deep and pathetic it is!
Rush
I disagree with your timing, Club Kettler started long before Trotz was here
I'll say it again. WE NEED TO GET HOLTBY THE FUCK OUT OF THE STARTING POSITION.
Holtby: 32 GP, 18-9-4, .899 SV%, 3.02 GAA
Samsonov: 16 GP, 12-2-1, .921 SV%, 2.24 GAA
Now I understand that Samsonov hasn't played enough games for it to be a significant enough sample size. I also understand that Samsonov, in his limited time in the NHL, hasn't done much to prove he is better or can be better than Holtby in his prime (i.e. Vezina caliber Holtby). There's nothing that tells us Samsonov will be the next Vezina and Cup winning goalie. But Holtby has done JACK SHIT to prove that he deserves to keep his starting spot. He's riding on the coattails of his Vezina/Cup wins. That's it. He's the employee who rolls into work 4 hours late and just sits there doing nothing. And when his co-workers ask why he's being a lard ass, he just pulls out his resume and says "that's why."
DC - You say there's no planet where Samsonov in his limited time in the NHL has proven to be better than an established veteran like Holtby? Okay I'll give you that. Samsonov COULD be better one day but we're going to need to see a lot more games out of him to begin to judge. But there's also no fucking universe where less than .900 SV% and more than 3.00 GAA is considered good for an NHL goalie, much less a goalie making $6-7 million this year, and on track to make $10 million.
Several days ago when we were playing the Sharks, everyone was talking about how much of a shit goalie Martin Jones was. Well Jones has an .890 SV% and 3.19 GAA. That's not far off from where Holtby is. But we are also SUBSTANTIALLY better than the Sharks as a team. And that's the thing...Holtby is in the bottom 20% (roughly) of the league in terms of SV% and GAA, but he's on a team that's best in the league. We're winning despite Holtby, not because of Holtby.
Now I also understand that SV% and GAA aren't everything. Maybe they're almost as useless as +/-, I don't know. But let's not pretend they don't mean anything at all here. Samsonov has been solid. He hasn't been lights out stand on his head brilliant. He hasn't stolen the starting job from Holtby, as much as Holtby has lost it with his poor play. But Samsonov has earned a chance, much like Grubauer earned his chance a few years ago. Worse case scenario, Samsonov also goes through some rough patches and we cycle Holtby in to see if he's gotten his shit together. Best case scenario, Samsonov plays well for us and/or Holtby finds his game again come playoff time.
There have been two coaches who have challenged the "Kllub Kettler" mentality.
The first was the interim coach, Dale Hunter, who was brought in as a temp. He was asked to stay, but declined.
The second was Trotz.
Klub Kettler has been around for a while. I almost commented on exctly that last night. The "Klub Kettler" attitude. There were difinite shades of Bruce B, last night.
Bruce2 tried to break up club kettler, that’s when he lost OV, which cost him the locker room
and the comeback wins they've had this year don't help to fix that coast mentality, now they think they just need to keep it close until the last 5:00 and they can pull a win out of the nether regions
it goes back to when Semin was here, IMO
Good point, Alta. You’re probably right!
We could all probably go back to 2010, with Montreal in the first round of the playoffs, or even before.
Yes, the same phenomena, can be observed, even prior to Barry Trotz.
I chose him as a starting point, simply because the argument could be made that if anybody could’ve ended this teams culture issues, it would have been HIM!
And even HE had minimal success with it, that’s how deep and pathetic it is!
Rush
I'll say it again. WE NEED TO GET HOLTBY THE FUCK OUT OF THE STARTING POSITION.
Holtby: 32 GP, 18-9-4, .899 SV%, 3.02 GAA
Samsonov: 16 GP, 12-2-1, .921 SV%, 2.24 GAA
Now I understand that Samsonov hasn't played enough games for it to be a significant enough sample size. I also understand that Samsonov, in his limited time in the NHL, hasn't done much to prove he is better or can be better than Holtby in his prime (i.e. Vezina caliber Holtby). There's nothing that tells us Samsonov will be the next Vezina and Cup winning goalie. But Holtby has done JACK SHIT to prove that he deserves to keep his starting spot. He's riding on the coattails of his Vezina/Cup wins. That's it. He's the employee who rolls into work 4 hours late and just sits there doing nothing. And when his co-workers ask why he's being a lard ass, he just pulls out his resume and says "that's why."
DC - You say there's no planet where Samsonov in his limited time in the NHL has proven to be better than an established veteran like Holtby? Okay I'll give you that. Samsonov COULD be better one day but we're going to need to see a lot more games out of him to begin to judge. But there's also no fucking universe where less than .900 SV% and more than 3.00 GAA is considered good for an NHL goalie, much less a goalie making $6-7 million this year, and on track to make $10 million.
Several days ago when we were playing the Sharks, everyone was talking about how much of a shit goalie Martin Jones was. Well Jones has an .890 SV% and 3.19 GAA. That's not far off from where Holtby is. But we are also SUBSTANTIALLY better than the Sharks as a team. And that's the thing...Holtby is in the bottom 20% (roughly) of the league in terms of SV% and GAA, but he's on a team that's best in the league. We're winning despite Holtby, not because of Holtby.
Now I also understand that SV% and GAA aren't everything. Maybe they're almost as useless as +/-, I don't know. But let's not pretend they don't mean anything at all here. Samsonov has been solid. He hasn't been lights out stand on his head brilliant. He hasn't stolen the starting job from Holtby, as much as Holtby has lost it with his poor play. But Samsonov has earned a chance, much like Grubauer earned his chance a few years ago. Worse case scenario, Samsonov also goes through some rough patches and we cycle Holtby in to see if he's gotten his shit together. Best case scenario, Samsonov plays well for us and/or Holtby finds his game again come playoff time.
I tell you what I'd do, and hiring a guy like Alan May. He always makes insightful comments on the team and quickly diagnoses what they are doing wrong. He's an old school guy who would command a lot more respect than Mr. Magoo back there. Of course, that would be bold and boldness is frowned on in most professional sports organizations.:hearts: :hearts: :hearts: :clap: :clap: :clap:
Disagree with this luv.Trotz was a fantastic coach and has always come across as a decent person. he got Mitch Korn here to school Holtby. I'm npt xure many other coaches could have done that.
Trotz was the one to eliminate Klub Kettler.
THAT is how and why we won the CUP.
HE was the one that got us to play as a TEAM.
HE was the one who taught our boys what TEAM meant.
This is turning out to be a slightly worrying trend. Not least from that recent ridiculous comeback in the last minute.
Over confidence? Arrogance? Ignorance, more like!
As bad as the guys have looked, the biggest problem this team has is standing behind the bench. It's clear that Rierden just writes out the lineup, tinkers with the lines a bit and that's it. He has no clue how to discipline a lazy and careless team. A good coach would only need to see about two of those 80' stretch passes in one game to read the riot act to them. Yet, they've been doing that for weeks 5-6 times a game. That's a sign of laziness, of guys not skating and of guys not backchecking. Trotz would have fixed that instantly. Same with the confused, panicky play in our own zone. Rierden simply doesn't have what it takes, regardless of the current record. This team will be one and done again as things now stand.Agree completely. In fairness, he’s been better this year, but that isn’t sayin a lot. He does what he’s told and nothing more than a glorified babysitter
I tell you what I'd do, even with the team in first place. I'd send a message by unloading Rierden and hiring a guy like Alan May. He always makes insightful comments on the team and quickly diagnoses what they are doing wrong. He's an old school guy who would command a lot more respect than Mr. Magoo back there. Of course, that would be bold and boldness is frowned on in most professional sports organizations.
DC - Even if Holtby doesn't want to be here anymore, shouldn't he be playing his best? After all, he's in a contract year. He may have "earned" a big contract with his prior achievements but his performance this year is only going to hurt his value going forward.One could think that, but also, why risk getting hurt, wear out, or burn out to make a team, and growing fan base, that thinks he’s expandable and doesn’t give two pan-fried fucks about him and are happy to turn on him and stab him in the back?
Samsonov will be in net tonight vs Carolina..
Yeah, but that was probably the plan in the schedule regardless of Holtby's play of late
Glad to see Sammy in though