Warning.....Rich's morning after sermon to follow: (for proper effect, please visualize me on a large soapbox) (and while we are exercising our imagination muscles...go ahead and imagine I'm regal and well respected)
Good game to watch for a change. Period 1 was ugly, but not as bad as the first three games. Like night and day with this team. When they play well, they are so fun. So strange, I mean the Caps pulled their not unheard of Jeckly and Hyde move, but the Islanders didn't really show up for this game...other than Varly and a few others. (like a Caps team) If I were more cynical I'd suggest the NHL decided we need to stretch this out cause the ONLY revenue is TV revenue and we need some more games.
Nice to see Kuzy actually play well. That dude is silk - too bad they can't find the ON switch for him a little more frequently. But when he is on...he is something to see.
Ovi....he is just an incredible player. The older he gets, the more I like/respect him. He has matured and maybe realized sometimes you have to carry your team and he does that very thing. I really wonder sometimes how many goals and cups he would actually have if he'd had better coaching and guidance (and depth around him) throughout his career.
Wilson seems to always bring it. He has to be one of the hardest guys to play against. Big and strong and Fast. I don't think he gets enough credit for his wheels. Just wish he'd find that scoring touch a bit more.
I know you need your stars to shine if you are going to win, but like Zero said...this isn't sustainable. You can double shift the guys that are on fire (Kuzy, Ovi, etc) at certain points, or even most of a game, but you can't do it all series long and certainly not for a long playoff run. The "year of the cup" the Caps got contributions from all levels of players...Devante, Eller, etc. Guys scoring KEY goals that normally don't. I know the Islanders are tough to play against, but we need more than Ovi, Oshie, Kuzy scoring goals. If you only have a few threats, you are easy to beat.
I'd love to see the Caps play well and win some games - so much fun to watch when they are playing well. I just don't think they have enough this year to be a real threat. I honestly think All the players don't have as much drive to compete for THIS Cup. I mean some guys are true competitors and just love to compete and win no matter what, but I think this cup just is not as meaningful. Even the games are not as fun too watch on TV without the fans in the stands. It's got to be weird for the players too. It feels like pre-season or a scrimmage that doesn't REALLY matter. That's my mentality about this anyway. Or maybe I'm just not as enthused because I don't think the Caps have a shot. To win the cup, a team has to have all the tools, And be firing on all cylinders, AND have a hot goalie, AND lucky bounces, AND players stepping up that normally don't, AND good coaching. Love to see it differently, but just don't think the Caps have all that this year.
Tod's tantrum after the 2-0 goal was good to see, but I'm not confident that's what spurred this team into life. Despite the 2-0, they had already looked better in play. They did manage to swarm the Isles for long stretches. Funny how our D looks SO much better when they don't have to play D (like when Caps are in the O-zone most of the game rather than the D-zone).
Despite what happens this year, I hope they send Tod packing. The more games we win the less I see that as reality, but I don't think they fire him either way. ANd what do you do if the team makes a deep run this year? Do you still fire the coach? I don't see it happening, but...
Anyway, that's my rant for the day. Great win - not just because it was a win, but because it was a good game to watch. Some great play.
Let's hope for one or two more....or several...or a baker's dozen...meh why not 15.
Looking forward to the next "last game of the season".
GO CAPS!
