R1G1 Caps at Rangers @ 3pm

[Surreylily]

 

[alta]

 


 




About what I expected in game 1. The real test is how, or if, the Caps respond in game 2.

[Surreylily]

Best team won.  We didn't even start plaing till 5 minutes left in the 3rd.


 

[Mickstix]

Espn a week behind I guess. Still 4-1 here. 

[Surreylily]

Oooh look.  Our boys fragile egos are hurt.   

[Surreylily]

Espn a week behind I guess. Still 4-1 here. 

Nope.  One minute to go, but the fat ladys tuning up.

[alta]

Caps Lose G1 4-1.

[Surreylily]

If Chucky had played the same half-arsed way the rest of the team did, the Rags would be in double figures.

[Surreylily]

THAT WAS RUBBISH.

[Beaglefan2]

I'd like to see Sgarabosa get a start in the next one. He brings energy.  I'd love it if they put him in for Pacioretti, but they won't disrespect a highly acclaimed vet like that - they should, but they won't.

[waynerivers]

The only thing that springs to mind watching this is:

The old guys are slow.
The young guys are slow.
There's an overall lack of talent.

Other than that, everything is great.

[Beaglefan2]

Caps looked slow all night long.  I bet the ice wasn't good, but the Rags were fine with it. They beat us to the puck all game and skated circles around us.


Would have been good to see McIlrath knock a few teeth out of that stupid Kempe smile.

[Surreylily]

Toodle pip peeps.   

[Mickstix]

I mean, for what looked like a 60 minute penalty kill, 4-1 isn't bad.    No skills, no speed is hard to overcome in todays NHL.

[BlackIce]

I mean, for what looked like a 60 minute penalty kill, 4-1 isn't bad.    No skills, no speed is hard to overcome in todays NHL.

Agreed.  We're overmatched, especially with half our defensive corps injured.


One good thing to come out of this is that Alexeyev gets primo minutes, so management can really evaluate what we have in him.  He's 24 now - it's time to figure out what his role in the organization, if any, is going to be.


But it's not going to be great to have the inevitable result of this series be accompanied by a #17 pick in the draft.  We can only hope that Michael Hage is still available when we select, and he turns out to be something worthwhile down the line.  That's about the best we can hope for.

[richkrt99]

Sorry to say, this is about what was expected was it not?  The very best (record) team vs a team that got in by the skin of its teeth.  A really really good team vs a mediocre team.  Pretty much what it looked like too. I certainly hoped for more, but honestly the Caps look tired as well as out-matched.
Officiating sucked in both the calls they made and the calls they didn't, but i don't think special teams would make a difference for the Caps.  Rags are #3 in both PK and PP, so we don't really want to go down that road.  Honestly this game could have been a total blowout; Rags had some great chances that just didn't go in.  I can't say that about the Caps.
Hockey is a funny game though.  Maybe we get some puck luck and we steal a game or two. 

[justwincaps]

I'd like to see Sgarabosa get a start in the next one. He brings energy.  I'd love it if they put him in for Pacioretti, but they won't disrespect a highly acclaimed vet like that - they should, but they won't.

If not Sgarbosa, then give Miro some playoff experience.  At least the kid looks excited to play.  Plus, he can't do anything more stupid than Pacs robbing the Caps of a n early PP chance with a dumbass, unnecessary crosschecking.

[Surreylily]

My chagrin about the game was not the loss, but the total lack of effort by our boys.

First game of the playofffs and we're playing half - arsed for a reg season game.

That's just really, really not good enough to me.

Look, we squeaked in on a wing and a prayer and I wasn't expecting us to blow the Rags out of the water, but I was expecting some level of compete, or pride.   Some heart.

For a few of our guys, this is their first taste of the NHL playoffs.  They take their lead and cues form our old guard and they're not setting a very good example so far.

Ovi ignoring an open net to pass instead.   Oshie, usually strong on the puck, being  a total turnover machine.  Soft, lazy passes from everybody.   Our only player who seemed to give a shit was Chuck and the rest of the team let him down immensely, imho.

It's like Kuzy pissed in all their water bottles and infected them all with his attitude.

[Beaglefan2]

Good post - I agree on everything and you are absolutely right that the lack of effort was really, really disappointing. I didn't expect to win, but thought we would fight a lot more.  There was one point that I thought Ovi was going to engage as he tried to make a big hit, but that was it. He looked old, slow and disinterested.


Maybe they will show up next game.  That has somehow happened in the past.

[Beaglefan2]

I still don't get that there has been no discussion of what I thought was a nasty boarding of Iorio.  That could easily, and in my opinion should bave been a 5 minute major and a hearing on a suspension.  Iorio has a couple feet from the boards and leaning and the guy pushed him headfirst - that could have ended really badly.


I hate to use the "if that had been Tom Wilson" thing, but it is a fair comment in this case, and if it had been Wilson, there is no question in my mind he would have been penalized, thrown out of the game and suspended.