GDT R1G4 Capitals @ Blue Jackets 2018-04-19 7:30pm EST NBCSWA, USA

[Maacoshark]

And I think Stephenson should stay on a line with Backstrom and Oshie.

[IDontGiveaChuk]

Good to see some fight from our guys. Looking forward to game 5.

[Stealyerfaceoff]

Nice to see the Caps look strong on the dot. Gotta win the faceoff battle.

[alta]

Where the heck is everybody?

I suspect everyone tuned out expecting the expected, but dare I say this team found an extra gear?

[justwincaps]

Did Vrana get hurt, or is he just in Trotz’s doghouse?  He barely had over 6 minutes of ice time - by a wide margin the least of any Cap

[Devise]

Did Vrana get hurt, or is he just in Trotz’s doghouse?  He barely had over 6 minutes of ice time - by a wide margin the least of any Cap

Was covered in the open. He's played a fine series offensively, however Tortorella has been line matching that second line to force a grittier play. While Vrana has shown good back checking and speed, he doesn't go to the walls or to the front of the net. Ultimately he's a better positional defensive player than he is in board battles, so Trotz put Stephenson with Backstrom/Oshie instead and put Vrana with Beagle/Chiasson. Since Chiasson and Beagle both kill penalties, and we took a bunch, not much opportunity for Vrana to be on the ice.

[RavenCp]

Did Vrana get hurt, or is he just in Trotz’s doghouse?  He barely had over 6 minutes of ice time - by a wide margin the least of any Cap

doghouse

[justwincaps]

Was covered in the open. He's played a fine series offensively, however Tortorella has been line matching that second line to force a grittier play. While Vrana has shown good back checking and speed, he doesn't go to the walls or to the front of the net. Ultimately he's a better positional defensive player than he is in board battles, so Trotz put Stephenson with Backstrom/Oshie instead and put Vrana with Beagle/Chiasson. Since Chiasson and Beagle both kill penalties, and we took a bunch, not much opportunity for Vrana to be on the ice.

That explains it - thanks.

[Maacoshark]

Did Vrana get hurt, or is he just in Trotz’s doghouse?  He barely had over 6 minutes of ice time - by a wide margin the least of any Cap

   Stephenson was playing on the Backstrom line to shut down Panarin. Vrana played on the 4th line and lost some time on defensive zone faceoffs. Obviously Trotz doesnt trust him in those situations. It was a good decision by Trotz.

[ArJunaZ]

I suspect everyone tuned out expecting the expected, but dare I say this team found an extra gear?

I thought we played pretty well and controlled much of the play the first two games, but just came up short because of a few mistakes. I was pretty confident this team COULD take these last two games if they put it all out on the ice. They did and the result was exciting.

I don't see why anyone would tune out after the first two because we came close.  The Caps can be frustrating and I've been tempted many times in the past to tune out, sometimes tempted to tune out permanently.  This year post season we are seeing this team really learn quickly.  They cleaned up the mistakes and are now dominating.

This is the "extra gear" we all knew they had in them, but rarely saw. They just had to ALL put it in gear at the same time for the entirety of the games. If they keep this up I actually see us having a decent chance at winning the 2nd series if we stay healthy. If they do that and build confidence, maybe more.
 

[Beaglefan2]

Remember, we are never as good as we look when we play well and never as bad as we look when we play poorly. We will go as far as Holtby can carry us.

[ArJunaZ]

I hope you guys got to catch the post game media interview with John Tortorella. 

He was pissed. He said "We sucked! We laid an egg! I'm not going to break it down for you." 

After that, two questions were thrown at him and he threw up his arms and walked away without answering them. Loved it!

[Beaglefan2]

Would love to see Stephenson keep getting playing time.

Man, he really kicked it into gear a couple of times. I’d like to see him gain some confidence and have them coach him up offensively. I think he could be a 20+ goal scorer. For now, he is a defensive specialist.

[Maacoshark]

Man, he really kicked it into gear a couple of times. I’d like to see him gain some confidence and have them coach him up offensively. I think he could be a 20+ goal scorer. For now, he is a defensive specialist.

   He is a defensive specialist but he is good at it. And he is a rookie. I don't recall ever seen a Caps rookie that responsible in the defensive zone.

[RavenCp]

No pain therapy, so topic is soo short! But only 6 pages? Seriously, this is playoff! 

[Devise]

   He is a defensive specialist but he is good at it. And he is a rookie. I don't recall ever seen a Caps rookie that responsible in the defensive zone.

Jay Beagle.

[BlackIce]

Well, the Caps dominated last night.  Good for them, but you know what the cynics will say:  The Caps just retook home ice advantage in a series where the home team has yet to win a game.  I won't say that home ice is a disadvantage, but it is clear that it is meaningless.


Of the 8 first round series, two have been sweeps, five are 3-1 with the leading team looking significantly superior.  It wouldn't be astounding if all of them were over in game 5.  And then there is this series, which looks as if it is going to go 7, with the equivalent of at least 8 games played.  Say what you want about toughening oneself up through a hard series, but whoever wins this one probably figures to have the lowest probability of winning the Cup among the 8 teams remaining in the chase, just because of relative fatigue.

[chas]

This is a longstanding issue with the Caps and the playoffs.  By the time we get to the second round, we are playing the third round as far as games.  Then we hear about the team looks slow.  Of course they do!  They played twice the minutes to get here.

[Maacoshark]

This is a longstanding issue with the Caps and the playoffs.  By the time we get to the second round, we are playing the third round as far as games.  Then we hear about the team looks slow.  Of course they do!  They played twice the minutes to get here.

   That is very true. Most of our playoff series go 6 or 7 games and a lot of those games to to OT.

[DC_1908]

   That is very true. Most of our playoff series go 6 or 7 games and a lot of those games to to OT.

Which is why we need players who spend more time in the gym and less time toe-dragging