Washington Capitals Fan Forum
Talk about Capitals hockey & more! => Washington Capitals & Other Hockey Discussion => Topic started by: ArJunaZ on Saturday November 03, 2018, 02:19:54 PM Eastern
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:capslogo3:
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Game 12: 12-5-4-2 (PTS-W-L-OT)
Saturday November 3, 2018 Dallas Stars @ Washington Capitals
Place: Capital One Arena
Time: 7:00 p.m. ET
TV: NBCSWA, FS-SW
Radio: 106.7 The Fan, Capitals Radio 24/7
NHL.COM (https://www.nhl.com/gamecenter/2018020200) for Live Box Score
Last Game: Thu November 1, Capitals Lost 6-4 against Canadiens
Next Game: Mon November 5, 7:00pm ET Oilers @ Capitals
8-Ovechkin 92-Kuznetsov 13-Vrana
65-Burakovsky 19-Bäckström 77-Oshie
23-Jaskin 20-Eller 10-Connolly
18-Stephenson 26-Dowd 25-Smith-Pelly
6-Kempny 74-Carlson
9-Orlov 2-Niskanen
29-Djoos 22-Bowey
70-Holtby (starter)
1-Copley
-- SCRATCH --
79-Walker
44-Orpik [lower-body injury]
72-Boyd (inactive)
63-Gersich (inactive)
-- INJURED RESERVE --
-- SUSPENDED --
43-Wilson (8 games left??)
-- 1st Powerplay Unit --
77-Oshie 19-Bäckström 92-Kuznetsov
8-Ovechkin 74-Carlson
-- 2nd Powerplay Unit --
13-Vrana 10-Connolly 20-Eller
2-Niskanen 9-Orlov
Referees: Kelly Sutherland (#11), Jon McIsaac (#2)
Linesmen: Steve Miller (#89), Tim Nowak (#77)
(https://washingtoncapitalsfanforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fgalactichub.com%2Fcaps%2Fscoring_summary.gif&hash=a5539380153e9a0902e0b6fc1ce40d49d66becf2)
1st Period
10:51 Stars GOAL Spezza, assist Smith 1-0 DAL
11:01 Stars GOAL Pitlick, unnassisted 2-0 DAL
2nd Period
00:38 GOAL 19-Bäckström, assists 65-Burakovsky & 6-Kempny 2-1 DAL
10:36 Stars GOAL Benn, assists Spezza & Nichushkin 3-1 DAL
12:31 GOAL 10-Connolly, assists 20-Eller & 23-Jaskin 3-2 DAL
3rd Period
07:57 PP GOAL 92-Kuznetsov, assists 77-Oshie & 19-Bäckström 3-3 TIE
OT
03:17 Stars GOAL Dickinson, unassisted 4-3 DAL
FINAL: 4-3 DAL
(https://galactichub.com/caps/The Washington Post.gif)
By Isabelle Khurshudyan November 2 at 6:59 PM
Capitals enter five-game homestand needing to fix defensive play
(https://www.washingtonpost.com/resizer/WmN-pVuR6JjQUzCS8klqr582F8E=/480x0/arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/3CY4PQW6KQI6RC5MX7QB7TODUY.jpg)
Montreal's Max Domi beats Washington goaltender Braden Holtby during the third period of the Canadiens' 6-4 win Thursday night. (Paul Chiasson/Canadian Press/Associated Press)
It took roughly 60 games last season for the Washington Capitals to get so fed up with their leaky defensive play that they clarified their structure and philosophy in a team meeting. What followed was a progression through the playoffs in which the Capitals played with more detail and commitment in each round, and that suffocating, tight-checking style ultimately delivered the franchise’s first Stanley Cup title.
And while Washington hoped it could carry that over to the start of this season, the Capitals' defensive play, considered their strength just five months ago, has been a weakness through the first month. The team has yet to win two games in a row and is allowing 3.82 goals per game, which is tied for third-most in the league. Washington has been able to win five of its 11 games with its high-powered offense averaging 3.82 goals, which ranks second in the NHL.
“It’s obviously good that we score goals, but at the same time, we have to find ways to get wins and maybe play a little better defensively,” center Nicklas Backstrom said.
After playing just 10 games in October with a spread-out schedule that had three breaks of at least three days between games, the Capitals will have a packed November with 15 games. Their five-game homestand, which opens Saturday night against Dallas, represents an opportunity to move up the standings by Thanksgiving, which historically provides a good indication of what the playoff picture will be. For Washington, snapping out of a style of play that has it trading high-quality chances with the opposition is a priority.
[Capitals defenseman Brooks Orpik to miss second straight game because of injury (https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2018/11/02/capitals-defenseman-brooks-orpik-miss-second-straight-game-because-injury/?utm_term=.1a209e4975c7)]
“High-powered offensive teams are coming in, and if you don’t want to manage the puck against them, it’s going to turn into another four, five, six goals against,” Coach Todd Reirden said. “And that’s not winning hockey.”
While Washington’s team defense is certainly improved from where it was for the majority of last season, it could certainly be sharper at this juncture after it retained its top seven defensemen and the vast majority of the forwards. Reirden said the defensive structure is “very close and similar” to what the Capitals did in the playoffs, but 11 games into the regular season, players aren’t blocking as many shots, and they’re losing more battles along the boards and yielding position in front of the net.
“That’s the five-man commitment that you need and was the premise behind the structural change that we made last year,” Reirden said. “That structural change is in place right now, and now we need to do a better job of it individually and as a group, and that involves . . . paying the price to get in the shot lanes or doing a better job boxing out players at the net front, picking up sticks. That’s where teams are able to get some of their higher-danger opportunities; a lot of it is coming off pucks that get by our first layer of defensive-zone coverage. It’s complicating things, and then it turns into battles that are closer to the net. And at this point, we’re losing some of those battles.”
At issue, too, is that the Capitals' opponents want to prove themselves against the defending Stanley Cup champions. Meanwhile, Washington’s players might still be recovering from a deep playoff run that led to a shortened summer.
[Capitals collapse late against Canadiens, fall 6-4 (https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/capitals/capitals-collapse-late-fall-on-the-road-to-canadiens-6-4/2018/11/01/b9d3f418-ddfc-11e8-b3f0-62607289efee_story.html?utm_term=.2d7d596b916b)]
“If you look at our season and how long it went, you look at past teams that have won, too — Pittsburgh, for an example — I think they kind of went through the same things we’re going through right now,” forward Brett Connolly said. “There’s a belief in our group that we know we’re better than what we’re showing, and it was the exact same thing last year, too, at the start of the year, so we’re confident that we can kind of fix that and play to our level. We’re just a step behind in a lot of areas right now, and little details, that determination in our game, we’re not having it for a full 60 minutes right now.”
After the Capitals blew a one-goal lead in the last three minutes against the Canadiens on Thursday, leaving Montreal with a regulation loss, Reirden had intended for the team to practice Friday. But then there was a delay getting through customs and, by the time the Capitals arrived in Washington, it was after 2 a.m. Reirden instead opted for an optional afternoon skate and pulled up video for the team to see how it looks when it keeps to its defensive structure, as opposed to some of the mistake-prone hockey the Capitals have flashed of late.
“You go home for the summer and you get two months off and you kind of get out of those habits a little bit,” Connolly said. “I think we just need to realize that we know we haven’t played our best. We know that there’s little details lacking in our team and as individuals. We’ve just got to get it back here and find that good vibe again, but we know we can do it. It’s only a matter of time.”
Read more on the Capitals:
Andre Burakovsky hopes new mental approach can breathe life into his game (https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/capitals/andre-burakovsky-hopes-new-mental-approach-can-breathe-life-into-his-game/2018/10/29/dc8e5b6c-2851-4eb3-a5d8-e034bc13f8af_story.html)
Jakub Vrana’s consistency, confidence have the Capitals hoping for a breakout season (https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/capitals/jakub-vranas-consistency-confidence-has-the-capitals-hoping-for-a-breakout-season/2018/10/28/86aa4196-4173-408c-ae6b-7a0a96796cc2_story.html)
Former Capitals forward Alex Chiasson explains his ‘awesome’ friendship with Alex Ovechkin (https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/capitals/former-capitals-forward-alex-chiasson-explains-his-awesome-friendship-with-alex-ovechkin/2018/10/26/ad473085-f912-40e6-a8d0-25fe09f970e8_story.html)
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What's the word on Orpik?
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What's the word on Orpik?
Unspecified lower body is all I can find.
This could be too much
(https://mbtskoudsalg.com/images/viagra-pill-png.png)
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Unspecified lower body is all I can find.
Yep, pregame of the Habs they made it sound like it was going to be 1 or 2 games, something minor. But that's all I've heard
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Walton is on 99.1 again cause of collage dickball
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Unspecified lower body is all I can find.
This could be too much
(https://mbtskoudsalg.com/images/viagra-pill-png.png)
You think he's got an uncontrolled woody? :-X
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Hmm, NBC Sports Washington channel has reverted to stereo audio. For years it's normally been really good 5.1 surround sound. It's a noticeable step backwards. Maybe the $240/month I pay is not enough to keep the extra sound quality going. I swear if it wasn't for watching the Caps I would have dumped Comcast (or any other provider) long ago. I don't watch anything else.
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You think he's got an uncontrolled woody? :-X
I'm just saying that according to the description from the team that it's a possibility.
:44: dildo :wackysmile:
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Evening chaps.
Kelly Sutherland is one of the refs. :O=
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yea, well, thanks to adverts that should have more regulation we all know if it last more than four hours you are supposed to go to the emergency room with your tent
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How did the Stars not score there. Wow!
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Evening chaps.
Kelly Sutherland is one of the refs. :O=
scoutingtherefs (http://scoutingtherefs.com/author/scoutingtherefs/) has yet to post the refs for tonight.
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Am I right that I only see one linesman?
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I have the privelage of home comms tonight and they mentioned the refs.
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I have the privelage of home comms tonight and they mentioned the refs.
I went back on the DVR during the break and got them posted now.
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WTF , I didn’t even have time to complain about the first goal
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:b: :B: :headbang: :angry:
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WTF?!
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What the.......???????? (Ō_ƆŎ) I just went to brush my teeth, I come back and we're down TWO? :clown:
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Was gonna say, Im not used to a tie (or lead) game.. Thankfully they gave up 2 quick ones to get back on track! :poop:
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great shift from the OV line looked like they were gonna go up one, all of a sudden they are down two
:O=
Stars got 2 goals in 10 seconds :poop: :poop:
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Damn! The last two pairs of goals against us separated by a grand total of 12 seconds.
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Speaking of PP, Caps are .500 at home
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Just awful performance so far..
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Ovi's got his shirt tucked in. How many games do you think he'll get? :P
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Stellar period! Im out.. Hope they claw back!
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Maybe the Caos should switch to a 3-2-1 or a 4-1-1 and forget about a goalie all together
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Domi now has 7 goals in 13 games
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Well I'll watch about 5 mins of the 2nd period then head to the Regina Pats game. Unfortunately the Pats suck too.
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:19z:
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Wowzers! What a shot! 8) There is life in us yet.
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Bit of a soft goal but we will take it.
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Domi now has 7 goals in 13 games
but we have Bura. . .
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Holts is our most physical defender so far
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but we have Bura. . .
Hey didnt he get an assist on our goal.
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Holts is our most physical defender so far
Lol
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Hey didnt he get an assist on our goal.
Ours or theirs?
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Ice CAPades rule. :clown:
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:10z:
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. . . are you fuckin kidding me?
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Wow!
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It's tough being a Caps fan.
Here we go again. ::)
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Conno!
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Jashkin and Bowey starting to throw their weight around
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if Mays talkin about Jaskin there isn’t much to talk about
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Much better towards the end of that period, but our D needs a serious look at.
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What's with the dually tricycle race?
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What's with the dually tricycle race?
That looked funny. :wackysmile:
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if Mays talkin about Jaskin there isn’t much to talk about
With the loss of Beagle, and Wilson out, gotta praise work ethic, even if the rest of the package leaves a lot to be desired.
Speaking of work ethic, what is up with Ovechkin? Been lazy tonight. There was several times after good defensive plays by the Stars where our boys respond to take the puck back and want to attack and Ovie is caught slowly skating out of the zone. Normally this wouldn't be that big of a deal because smart hockey players like our third and fourth lines tonight would forecheck and create zone time. But because it's Ovies line Vrana or Kuzy half the time are too stubborn to dump it and Ovie's lazyness leads to careless turnovers trying to deke the puck through defenders.
That said we were a bit better that 2nd. My issue isn't that we didn't play better it's who is doing it. If it wasn't for our bottom six we wouldn't be in hockey games right now. Ovie has the shot don't get me wrong. But defensively our top line especially has been a mess. Nicky's line while still getting some points keeps getting hampered by Burts horrible puck possession. To much of our top six feels like good players making good plays getting held up by boneheaded plays by boneheaded players right now. Obviously we have issues on D too, but we need all our forwards engaged to play D in the NHL in 2018. We can criticize our bad D and some bad goals all we want but much to the chagrin of the anti-physical crowd goal scoring is way up in the NHL right now. Which means in order to do what we do best, we need our forwards hitting. Ovechkin hasn't hit a fly tonight. The fact that Dowd, Eller and Madison Bowey of all people have been our most physical players tonight, well that is troubling.
That said I hope what I saw late there until the PP continues. Reirden just started to say screw it and was overshifting bottom pairing forwards in an effort to oversell the work ethic thing. I was wondering about this as scoring started to dwindle or the team struggled. Trotz had no problems sitting star guys for shifts as a work ethic reminder and I was a bit worried Reirden would cave a little and let the stars go. Ovie has been overplaying on the PP for my liking this season, for example, same with Carlson. But the last two games we are starting to see some push from Reirden. He needs it. I love Ovie and Kuzy as much as the next guy but if your just bobbling the puck or getting it on the wall and just lazily giving it up like Ovie did three times that period alone? Like criticize Lars Eller all you want for size but he'll stiffarm any big man to make sure he gets the puck up the wall. He'll take hits and make the right plays. He's probably been our best forward the last three games, him or Nicky. But neither are that big. We really bloody well miss Tom Wilson.
Anyway, hope to see some good work ethic in the third. It was the biggest reason I didn't want to lose Beagle. I agree with May that Jaskin certainly has that more so than Connolly or Burt.
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Much better 2 period than a 1 one, hope the 3 period gonna be our best performance tonight
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They played an interview with Koken during the intermission on the radio, even Koken thinks the appeal, Buttmans review and now the arbitration is being "slow rolled" on purpose
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:92z:
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KUZY!!!!!!
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:km:
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SNEAKY Kuzy! ;D
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What a Goal!!!
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OV on the faceoff????
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:sp:
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Well, that's a point I wasn't expecting at the end of the 1st period.
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There is no fukin way that should've been a penalty shot
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What the hack going on
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Cheesus Crap, efing joke
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Weak goal against, weak play by Vrana. Weak in OT in general. We had Kuzy/Oshie/Orlov out there for 2 minutes nearly ffs, just dead gassed following a weak penalty shot call. But even the weak call was no excuse Ovie/Carlson were weak too. Just weak. Weak 1 point.
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:gundang: :crying:
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Oh well.
I thought we weremuch better as the game went on, but that's not saying a lot, beings as we started off so incredibly badly. There were some signs of life though and it was a good comeback to nick a point.
Felt sorry for Holts at the end there.
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Looks like all those dollar signs are keeping Carlson from seeing the ice, he has forgotten how to pass this year
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(https://washingtoncapitalsfanforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fgalactichub.com%2Fcaps%2Fscoring_summary.gif&hash=e4c44b0c35837704bf29d0ee1ad212f9)
1st Period
10:51 Stars GOAL Spezza, assist Smith 1-0 DAL
11:01 Stars GOAL Pitlick, unnassisted 2-0 DAL
2nd Period
00:38 GOAL 19-Bäckström, assists 65-Burakovsky & 6-Kempny 2-1 DAL
10:36 Stars GOAL Benn, assists Spezza & Nichushkin 3-1 DAL
12:31 GOAL 10-Connolly, assists 20-Eller & 23-Jaskin 3-2 DAL
3rd Period
07:57 PP GOAL 92-Kuznetsov, assists 77-Oshie & 19-Bäckström 3-3 TIE
OT
03:17 Stars GOAL Dickinson, unassisted 4-3 DAL
FINAL: 4-3 DAL
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. . , isn’t that two that they scored of the Carlson to Varana pass from behind the net?
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With such weak performance in defense during this season my expectations are low
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and Mays kool aid is giving me indigestion this season
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and Mays kool aid is giving me indigestion this season
i’m betting the producers have been on him and the rest to make this shitshow look as good as it can
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I just watched back the penalty shot. I missed it because I walked away for a couple minutes at the end of regulation.
There was no F-ing way that should have been a penalty, much less a penalty shot IMO. Carlson barely touched his bicep. Never touched his hands, and it wasn't a hook. It was a feather light touch. FFS!
The NHL has really lost its soul with all this pansy light touch foul crap.
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I just watched back the penalty shot. I missed it because I walked away for a couple minutes at the end of regulation.
There was no F-ing way that should have been a penalty, much less a penalty shot IMO. Carlson barely touched his bicep. Never touched his hands, and it wasn't a hook. It was a feather light touch. FFS!
The NHL has really lost its soul with all this pansy light touch foul crap.
Yep. Even while I was typing that post though, I was thinking I bet Reirden wasn't going ape shit because in OT I think I'd rather have Holts face a penalty shot that have a full 2:00 PP with the shit show that's supposed in front of him.
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i’m betting the producers have been on him and the rest to make this shitshow look as good as it can
Agreed DC!
I really like Alan May, but somebody behind the scenes is talking to him about his image and the like. Anybody else notice, in the post game, dual commentary, with him and Rob Carlin, that May seems to be forcing a little smile, standing there, when it’s Carlin’s turn to comment!
May always had a more stern and serious demeanor during last years postgame talk! It really looks unnatural! I give it 3 weeks, tops, before May complains privately, and returns to normal.
If HE sells out, then you know Monumentals got him by the short hairs, and would be truly sad! No “Hollywood Alan May”, please, Lord!
Side note: Ya know it’s getting bad for #65, when you don’t even notice HIS bad puck handling tonight, because so many others were guilty, as well! 2nd Line!! Are you kidding me??
Rush
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After that weak performance, Daylight savings time couldn’t have come at a better time. I have an extra hours sleep, to shed the disappointment!
Rush
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I guess we played like shit again.
On the bright side Trotz's Islanders beat the devils 3-0. All of a sudden the Islanders are one of the top defensive teams in the league after being one of the worst last year. How did that happen?
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I guess we played like shit again.
On the bright side Trotz's Islanders beat the devils 3-0. All of a sudden the Islanders are one of the top defensive teams in the league after being one of the worst last year. How did that happen?
That’s insane, even though they have lost John Tavares this season, but we have to enjoy such poor performance as tonight under Reirden management :-(
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Agreed DC!
I really like Alan May, . . . Anybody else notice, in the post game, dual commentary, with him and Rob Carlin, that May seems to be forcing a little smile, standing there, when it’s Carlin’s turn to comment!
Rush
OMG Puck, funny, and true. I was showing his fake smile to my wife a couple weeks ago. It looks so obviously forced. And it doesn't show up until he is done speaking, then he cracks this funky grin/smile.
Kind of like this actually! ;D
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I guess we played like shit again.
On the bright side Trotz's Islanders beat the devils 3-0. All of a sudden the Islanders are one of the top defensive teams in the league after being one of the worst last year. How did that happen?
Lou Lamerillo and the Coach he would pay for
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Lou Lamerillo and the Coach he would pay for
Yup. A coach that should be here.
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Yup. A coach that should be here.
Yep, Monumental wanting a young coach they can control and market assuredly had a lot to do with that
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Kings fired Stevens today,imao similar step would be needed for our team too in near future if we continue to play in same level of performance !
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Kings fired Stevens today,imao similar step would be needed for our team too in near future if we continue to play in same level of performance !
I doubt that happens. Reirden is the guy they wanted.
Still can't figure out why they wanted to get rid of Trotz. DC's assessment is probably correct.
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I doubt that happens. Reirden is the guy they wanted.
Still can't figure out why they wanted to get rid of Trotz. DC's assessment is probably correct.
Lets be clear here. They did not get rid of Trotz. By the terms of his contract if he won the Stanley Cup he received an automatic 2 year extension with a roughly 500,000 dollar per year increase. Trotz wanted a longer term and more money so he resigned and the Caps accepted his resignation. I suppose they could have refused to let him go but that would not have been a good situation.
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Lets be clear here. They did not get rid of Trotz. By the terms of his contract if he won the Stanley Cup he received an automatic 2 year extension with a roughly 500,000 dollar per year increase. Trotz wanted a longer term and more money so he resigned and the Caps accepted his resignation. I suppose they could have refused to let him go but that would not have been a good situation.
Management could’ve offered him something closer to what he wanted. That’s what we are upset about not happening. It’s not like Ted and Co. couldn’t afford it, and coaches don’t count towards the salary cap.
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The Caps position was that he was under contract and they were not going to renegotiate it. I have no problem with that people are bound by the contracts they sign. Caps did not have to let him out of his contract.
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I get the contract part, but the sports industry doesn’t work like the government does
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The Caps position was that he was under contract and they were not going to renegotiate it. I have no problem with that people are bound by the contracts they sign. Caps did not have to let him out of his contract.
You’re correct 4Caps. Caps management did not “have to” do anything other than honor the terms of the contract, and yes, also did not “have to” accept Trotz’s resignation. But, accept his resignation, they did.
However, lets not pretend that somehow, management, didn’t have other REASONABLE options! It’s not like there is some honorable tradition, written in stone, that never allows renegotiation of NHL coaching contracts. It’s certainly been done, although not commonplace.
Coaching contract renegotiation, almost never occurs with a losing season. The coach is usually fired, either during, or at the end of the season. When you see renegotiation, it is following a winning season, where the coach has vastly improved the team!
Lets also not forget that Caps mgmt. did NOT make a contract offer to Trotz in his last year here. It would have been viewed, by anyone, as a normal and usual thing. And, in fact, was part of the summer media buzz.
WHY they didn’t, IMO, only Trotz, and Mgmt know. The point being, that we heard wisps of news that Trotz felt slighted by the organization, although there seemed to be great effort on both sides to stay quiet about it, and get on with the season. Good for all, I say, and we won the Cup!!
It is, singularly, some of us fans, and caps mgmt, in DC, that the terms “Presidents Trophy”, is considered to be using foul language!
We know why! Right or wrong, our multiple playoff failures, for SO long, led to this feeling! Trotz had been in Nashville for years and years. HE did not share this feeling, nor should’ve he!
Any other NHL city would have given their first born, for a coach possessing a resume with 2 Presidents Trophies, and a Stanley Cup, in his past 3 seasons with their team!
Trotz, along with the entire Caps organization, achieved the ultimate!!! Trotz put damn near two decades into coaching at the NHL level. He wanted 5 yrs, and GOOD PAY, to remain. IMHO, I believe he would have accepted a 3 or 4 yr deal, had he not been met with such rigidity about the contract, at the end of our stellar season!!
Yes, Mgmt held to the “letter of the law”, but I was one to disagree with their actions in this case! Maybe Trotz was too soured from not getting re-signed earlier? Maybe it was an ego battle between GMBM and Trotz? Who knows?
FYI, these comments, I make, have nothing to do with the current situations with Rierden, or Trotz right now. It’s too early for that stuff. I always say, 20-25 games, before any serious considerations about the team!
I do, however, generally respect your integrity for keeping contracts, 4Caps!
Rush
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The Caps position was that he was under contract and they were not going to renegotiate it. I have no problem with that people are bound by the contracts they sign. Caps did not have to let him out of his contract.
You realize that the Caps had made their choice long ago. They wanted Reirden which was why they blocked teams from talking to him. They had ZERO intentions on keeping Trotz. He was going to be a free agent vat the end of last season. Except a clause in his contract messed up their plans. That clause being if we won the cup that Trotz would get an additional 2 years. That is the reason that he was still under contract. Do you actually think the Caps would honor that contract? Had Trotz accepted the contract I guarantee the Caps would have fired him by now and Reirden would be head coach anyway. Resigning was the best option for Trotz. I'm pretty sure both parties knew this was the way it was going to turn out long ago. We fucked Trotz, we fucked ourselves.
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I don't blame Rierden or whoever the coach would have been for the lousy play lately. There were stretches last year when we looked worse and individual players were horrible. I expected a 500 record after 20 games and that is where we will be. We will crank it up at some point.
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The Caps position was that he was under contract and they were not going to renegotiate it. I have no problem with that people are bound by the contracts they sign. Caps did not have to let him out of his contract.
No they didn’t have to, but it’s obvious they wanted to. It was well within their means to offer and pay what he wanted, or enough to keep him.
Monumental Entertainment was done marketing the veteran coach and wanted to switch to a younger/first year/promoted coach that is a “good story” and can be controlled
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I don't blame Rierden or whoever the coach would have been for the lousy play lately. There were stretches last year when we looked worse and individual players were horrible. I expected a 500 record after 20 games and that is where we will be. We will crank it up at some point.
.500 record after 20 games is fine, but allowing almost 100 goals in 20 games isn’t.
This stretch is worse than any point last year, the Oates era, or the BB era.
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OV on the faceoff? ???
What's ironic is my son, who is not really a hockey fan, (and yes I am ashamed as a failed father figure to no end) was watching the other day and asked me if Ovi was good at face-offs>
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You know you/we fans are very fickle. ::)
I recall about this time last year ALOT of people were calling for Trotz to be fired because of the teams poor performance.
And even more so after the previous year's miserable playoff performance. I recall specifically many many people on these boards complaining about Trotz' inability to make effective adjustments during the post season run and that he should be fired...
People complained that Trot's had NEVER gotten past the second round so WHY did the Caps even hire him....because they were okay with mediocre playoffs as long as the marketing was good and we won another president's cup.
Many fans, and many fans on this board were calling for Trotz to be fired prior to last season....which is probably when Monumental decided NOT to renegotiate a contract with Trotz.
It's not like the Caps decided AFTER they won the cup NOT to renegotiate with Trotz. By that point, it was already over and done with from both sides of the table.
Are any of you actually saying that you would have been happy about and applauded CAPS management and Monument for resigning Trotz to a new 5 year deal at the end of a disappointing playoff run the previous year...OR - IF that had been done at this point in the season last year?
Hell NO. You would have been screaming bloody murder and complaining about how stupid GMBM was and that all TED wanted was a coach he could successfully market.
I'd rather still have Trotz than Reirdon, but it wasn't to be. I, as a GM (which I obviously aint) would have no way been renegotiating a contract with Trotz after three disappointing playoff runs.
Even going into round 1 of last years playoffs - do you honestly think ANY reasonable team ownership or management would have negotiated a new contract with Trotz? Or that he deserved a new contract after what at that point was at best mediocre team performance?
It wasn't a successful season until round three of the playoffs and way too late for any contract BS at that point.
Get real peeps.
Honestly, I am surprised that hasn't been more whining about Reirdon already.
Rant over. GO CAPS
[size=78%](sure wish we had Trotz leading us this year) [/size] :raspberry:
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. . . . .
Honestly, I am surprised that hasn't been more whining about Reirdon already.
It's tough to blame Reirdon when we have pretty much the same team that won the cup and they simply aren't executing. I can see them going a game or three trying out new ideas from Reirdon, but when shit starts to stink I'd expect the guys to fall back to what they know worked for them. I don't see how a coach could fuck this team up in such a short period of time. I lay this on the guys if anyone.
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Trotz boiled down to ego, imo.. I was one of the ones calling for his firing, so I don't blame him at all for asking for a re-negotiated contract after winning a cup.. He did what most everyone said/thought couldn't be done here. Soooo, imo, Ted should of recognized this and swallowed his pride and gave the man some money.. But, he didn't and here we are. Im not saying Reirden is a bad coach or anything, but anyone (including Ted/Monumental) who thinks the grass is greener with him gone, is delusional.. They spent through the nose to keep Kuzy, Carlson, Oshie, Orlov, etc.. Should of just spent what doesn't go against the cap and amounts to peanuts to a billionaire and been done with it.. :angel:
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.500 record after 20 games is fine, but allowing almost 100 goals in 20 games isn’t.
This stretch is worse than any point last year, the Oates era, or the BB era.
This is the worst they have been defensively since the 70s.
We can't even really use the excuse that the league is more offensive minded now. I think there was 4 shutouts Saturday.
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I don't blame Rierden or whoever the coach would have been for the lousy play lately. There were stretches last year when we looked worse and individual players were horrible. I expected a 500 record after 20 games and that is where we will be. We will crank it up at some point.
Here, Here!! Well said Beags!
Rush
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Some interesting angles posted on this Trotz thing.
Another consideration is the pent-up, playoff choking, expectations that only Caps fans knew too well.
This was the atmosphere that Trotz inherited upon arrival, whether fair or unfair!
The “2 year window”, was publically proclaimed, by mgmt, to the fans. What other marketing choice did they have, with the “2nd round choke” reputation, like a noose around the neck? What else was left
that could be said to the fans?
I do believe that ego was involved, Trotz feeling dissed by not getting an offer, when he finished the last two regular seasons with the best record in the NHL for those years!
Truth is, the significant VALUE of what that meant to Trotz, as opposed to what Mgmt thought of the accomplishment, were probably miles apart! Which, IMO, led to a private, behind the scenes, understanding, throughout the regular season, that neither party was very interested in renewal! (Obviously, just my opinion, here).
This all being said, I STILL think that the very winning of the Stanley Cup, COULD and SHOULD have provided both parties with an “out”, for their respective egos, allowing both sides a face saving situation, where they both can reset the negotiating needle back to ZERO.
Neither budged, IMO, and that was not only shameful, but awkward for the fans to witness! Plenty of blame to go around, I think!
Whichever way you feel about Trotzy, as coaches go, if we heap the blame on him, for that gut wrenching, 2nd round, gm 7, pathetic, give-up loss, to the Hens in 2017, then he also gets the praise heaped on him, for our miraculous 2018 Stanley! Simple as that!
It’s also way too early, for me, to start forming the deeper, solid opinions on things with the Caps, right now. Rierden deserves a chance to show he can adjust to challenges. Tonites Oilers win, speaks some hope that he just may be capable of doing just that! 20-25 games, is a good early litmus test, in my book!
Rush