:spacer50pix: 8-Ovechkin | :spacer50pix: 92-Kuznetsov | :spacer50pix: 43-Wilson |
:spacer50pix: 13-Vrana | :spacer50pix: 20-Eller | :spacer50pix: 77-Oshie |
:spacer50pix: 14-Panik | :spacer50pix: 18-Stephenson | :spacer50pix: 72-Boyd |
:spacer50pix: 28-Leipsic | :spacer50pix: 26-Dowd | :spacer50pix: 21-Hathaway |
:spacer50pix: :spacer50pix: 6-Kempny | :spacer50pix: 74-Carlson |
:spacer50pix: :spacer50pix: 9-Orlov | :spacer50pix: 33-Gudas |
:spacer50pix: :spacer50pix: 34-Siegenthaler | :spacer50pix: 3-Jensen |
:spacer50pix::spacer50pix::spacer50pix::spacer50pix: 30-Samsonov (starter) |
:spacer50pix::spacer50pix::spacer50pix::spacer50pix: 70-Holtby |
:spacer50pix::spacer50pix::spacer50pix::spacer50pix: 29-Djoos |
:spacer50pix::spacer50pix::spacer50pix::spacer50pix: 47-Malenstyn |
:spacer50pix::spacer50pix::spacer50pix::spacer50pix: 19-Bäckström (upper body) |
:spacer50pix::spacer50pix::spacer50pix::spacer50pix: 62-Hagelin (LTIR upper body (eligible to be activated Dec. 2)) |
:spacer50pix: 92-Kuznetsov | :spacer50pix: 20-Eller | :spacer50pix: 77-Oshie |
:spacer50pix: :spacer50pix: 8-Ovechkin | :spacer50pix: :spacer50pix: 74-Carlson |
:spacer50pix: 13-Vrana | :spacer50pix: 72-Boyd | :spacer50pix: 43-Wilson |
:spacer50pix: :spacer50pix: 28-Leipsic/8-Ovechkin | :spacer50pix: 9-Orlov |
:ftb:
https://scoutingtherefs.com/ (https://scoutingtherefs.com/category/tonights-officials/) have not posted in three days. Gone from typically comatose to deceased.
Caps get a short pp
it was sketchy until the last few minutes
Just watched the last three games on replay. A few things:
Seigenthaler - very impressed with his development. He is very solid and I think is a top 4 defensemen. I was bummed we lost Bowey (who was scratched by Detroit last night), but now I am thrilled with Seigenthaler.
Gudas - I wasn't too sure about him, but he has turned out great. He is physical, but can skate and makes some outstanding passes.
Boyd - he will likely be the next guy sitting out when we get our guys back, but he has impressed. He works the forecheck and can stickhandle in the corners and behind the net for some sneaky plays.
Dowd - he may be the odd man out again as well, but I like his physical play lately. He has a knack for finishing checks with the full body instead of just the glancing hit.
Good post, Beags.
At the start of the season, I was really pulling for Ziggy to do well. Through the first 15 to 20 games, I started to sour on the guy a bit.
No complaints with attitude or his effort level at all, just seeing a few too many mental errors, passing and zone clearing mistakes, etc. that didn’t lend itself to helping his cause!
But I tell you, for about the last 3 to 4 weeks, I’ve really noticed a incrementally increasing, and more COMPREHENSIVE improvement, in Siegenthaler’s defensive skills across-the-board! Playing generally more responsible, clearing better, and even doing a little better along the boards!
As far as Gudas goes, I had high hopes heading into the season for him already! He has definitely exceeded expectations, and adds a very mature, decision-making, AND physical presence to his line! Very happy with Radko Gudas all around!!
Last year we often saw an experimental merry go round, shuffling 4th line forwards in and out of various games.
Boyd, Dowd, Smith-Pelly and Stephenson, (mainly), went through their fair share of “scratch-n-play”, throughout the season, obviously depending on what situation the coaches were dealing with. In the first half of the season, you could almost see any combination of those fellas on the fourth line.
I just checked last years stats. Dowd and Stephenson each had 64 games. DSP and Boyd in the mid 50’s.
Dowd had the most points, and best plus/minus of the four. Both Stevenson and DSP were negative in plus/minus.
Stephenson has dropped a notch in my book, starting with the last half of last season. He’s got a lot of speed, but he gets caught puck watching a lot, and is one of those guys, when skating on the ice, who chooses, TOO often, to cruise and glide, rather than keep his legs moving.
This affects mainly his defensive abilities, As it causes him to lose those precious few milliseconds of reaction time, to start his legs going again!
In Stephensons defense, once he does churn his legs, he has great acceleration, almost Hagelin-like, and sometimes it makes up for it. Sometimes it doesn’t, and can cost us a simple puck possession, or worse, A high chance SOG!
With Dowd and Boyd, You get the same great effort level and hustling attitude from both guys! I would say just the very slightest shooting accuracy would go to Boyd!
But Dowd has become an OUTSTANDING PK guy, and has scrappiness galore, both along the boards, AND, on his defensive side, is a good, play disrupter, against the opponent,
This is why I think Dowd will mostly stay at 4th line center/forward, over Boyd. They are very close, mind you, but when Backy, and Hagelin return, you’ll have two guys to sort out of the picture between, Panik, Stephenson, Boyd, Leipsic, Dowd, and Hathaway!
That Dowd, Leipsic, Hathaway, 4th line combo has shown to cause some real havoc on opponents when they’ve been together!!
They’ve mostly been an energized, gritty, hustling, thorn in the opponents side, especially when opponents start entry into our zone! They get way more than their fair share of puck steals/possession changes!! The only knock on those three guys, would be a little more shot accuracy for production! (Hence, their 4th line placement)! But for my money, I like ‘EM!!👍
It’s going to get interesting here, when Backy and Hags return!
It’s one of those GOOD problems for Rierden to have to deal with!
Rush
Good post, Beags.
At the start of the season, I was really pulling for Ziggy to do well. Through the first 15 to 20 games, I started to sour on the guy a bit.
No complaints with attitude or his effort level at all, just seeing a few too many mental errors, passing and zone clearing mistakes, etc. that didn’t lend itself to helping his cause!
But I tell you, for about the last 3 to 4 weeks, I’ve really noticed a incrementally increasing, and more COMPREHENSIVE improvement, in Siegenthaler’s defensive skills across-the-board! Playing generally more responsible, clearing better, and even doing a little better along the boards!
As far as Gudas goes, I had high hopes heading into the season for him already! He has definitely exceeded expectations, and adds a very mature, decision-making, AND physical presence to his line! Very happy with Radko Gudas all around!!
Last year we often saw an experimental merry go round, shuffling 4th line forwards in and out of various games.
Boyd, Dowd, Smith-Pelly and Stephenson, (mainly), went through their fair share of “scratch-n-play”, throughout the season, obviously depending on what situation the coaches were dealing with. In the first half of the season, you could almost see any combination of those fellas on the fourth line.
I just checked last years stats. Dowd and Stephenson each had 64 games. DSP and Boyd in the mid 50’s.
Dowd had the most points, and best plus/minus of the four. Both Stevenson and DSP were negative in plus/minus.
Stephenson has dropped a notch in my book, starting with the last half of last season. He’s got a lot of speed, but he gets caught puck watching a lot, and is one of those guys, when skating on the ice, who chooses, TOO often, to cruise and glide, rather than keep his legs moving.
This affects mainly his defensive abilities, As it causes him to lose those precious few milliseconds of reaction time, to start his legs going again!
In Stephensons defense, once he does churn his legs, he has great acceleration, almost Hagelin-like, and sometimes it makes up for it. Sometimes it doesn’t, and can cost us a simple puck possession, or worse, A high chance SOG!
With Dowd and Boyd, You get the same great effort level and hustling attitude from both guys! I would say just the very slightest shooting accuracy would go to Boyd!
But Dowd has become an OUTSTANDING PK guy, and has scrappiness galore, both along the boards, AND, on his defensive side, is a good, play disrupter, against the opponent,
This is why I think Dowd will mostly stay at 4th line center/forward, over Boyd. They are very close, mind you, but when Backy, and Hagelin return, you’ll have two guys to sort out of the picture between, Panik, Stephenson, Boyd, Leipsic, Dowd, and Hathaway!
That Dowd, Leipsic, Hathaway, 4th line combo has shown to cause some real havoc on opponents when they’ve been together!!
They’ve mostly been an energized, gritty, hustling, thorn in the opponents side, especially when opponents start entry into our zone! They get way more than their fair share of puck steals/possession changes!! The only knock on those three guys, would be a little more shot accuracy for production! (Hence, their 4th line placement)! But for my money, I like ‘EM!!👍
It’s going to get interesting here, when Backy and Hags return!
It’s one of those GOOD problems for Rierden to have to deal with!
Rush
Reports are that Stevenson has been traded to Las Vegas. No reports what Caps are getting in return. Probably a draft choice.
It appears that Stevenson is going to be placed on waivers as he was not on the ice this morning and with Hagelin returning from LTIR the Caps need to make a move. Boyd was centering the 3rd line with Hagelin and Leipsic on the wings. Backstrom apparently is still out although he no longer was wearing a non-contact jersey.
Stepho also has the problem of being the most expensive guy in that mix of Boyd/Dowd/Stepho at $800k/750k/1.05m respectively.
we are talking relative pennies in pro contracts with these figures, but with the Caps cap problem, relative pennies matter.
I've never been a big fan of Djoos, but I think his cap hit of 1.25m versus Ziggy's 710k is another nail in his NHL playing coffin.
I'd take Ziggy over Djoos at even money and think Ziggy really has improved this year and it's no contest for me. Plus Ziggs has got some real size to him.
Go Caps
Rush - good analysis.
I'm actually starting to warm to GMBM. He has made some good moves and I think he has a knack for the blueliners. For instance, I hated giving up Bowey in the Jensen deal, but Ziggy has developed way more than Bowey who was scratched by the worst team in the league the other night. His Nisky-for-Gudas deal is looking great as well. We all saw Nisky making more and more stupid mistakes in the last couple of year and Gudas has played well.
It looks like part of out dilemma on the extra players is going to be solved by Stephensons departure soon. It will be interesting to see if we get anything for him or just lose him through waivers. I had high hopes for him and at one point thought he could be the next Beagle, but he just doesn't have the desire. He has the skills, just not the competitive drive.
Always appreciative of your “inside scoops”, from practice, 4Caps!
From what you’ve reported, it looks like they’re also keeping Eller at 2nd line center. I’m guessing until Backstrom returns.
At whatever point Nicky returns, I assume he’ll go back up the first line, and Kuzy will drop to second line with Vrana.
I like Eller and Hagelin together on 3rd line! Paired with Leipsic or Hathaway, as either of those combinations, although not the heaviest production guys, ALL of them possess never-quit quickness, and can frustrate opponents in good measure, ESPECIALLY during those fragile few seconds when, just prior to blue line entrance, into our zone, and our opponent is just beginning to try and set something up!! That’s one of the big strenghts for our healthy third line!!
Thanks for the update!
Rush, I don’t think when Backstrom returns he will go back on the top line. If you recall, before Backstrom got hurt Rierden had flipped Backstrom and Kuznetsov and I assume when he comes back he will be between Vrana and Oshie.
Rush
I was never really "down" on Reirden, but was never his supporter either. I thought he maybe deserved a chance at a head coaching job, but that he would fall short. I also really thought the Caps should go for a real superstar head coach and go for Joel Qunnie....IF he would consider the job. (way back when he was available)
Hard to tell with his first year but he had decent success but fell short in the playoffs. I really thought the Caps just did look spent so not sure we can hang that on the coach.
I do think Reirden manages this team pretty well, and that's what a head coach really does, is MANAGE the assets you have, not so much coaching. It certainly takes a different chemistry and style for each group, but it seems to be working now. I do also think he may be too soft when the going gets tougher. Easy to be a nice guy when the team is winning and in 1st place.
Ultimately, I guess his success will be measured by the teams performance. If that's the bar, I'd say he gets an A right now. Time will tell.
GO CAPS