Any one who saw last night's game, well...there's not much that can be said. The way they played pretty much said it all. It was yet another Classic Capitals Collapse.
What bothers me is, as much jump as they seemed to have in the season opener against Tampa, they were severely lacking in any urgency or energy last night against the Jets. Save for perhaps Matt Hendricks (one assist short of a Gordie Howe hat-trick for his efforts).
Al Koken astutely pointed out several key issues during the second intermission. The two factors contributing the most to this now 0-2 hole are: 1. The dearth of players that are in actual game shape 2. The complete 180 degree turnaround the team has been asked to do in terms of the system of new coach Adam Oates. Regarding the latter, it may not be surprising that two of the newcomers (Woltek Wolski and Mike Ribiero) are having the least amount of trouble keeping up with the play, at least in the offensive zone. Unlearning something and then learning something new can be a million times harder than just learning a new skill.
Losing a home opener and going into a 0-2 hole to start the season is uncharted territory for the Caps. This 48-game season is going to prove anything but conventional for the entire NHL. Given that, it would obviously behoove this team to knuckle down and figure things out as quickly as possible. There are 10 games left to the first quarter pole of the season and it will be there that a true team evaluation can be made.
It's not presumptuous to say that if the Caps aren't faring much better by then, the playoffs may be out of reach.
Look, I get that I'm playing the role of Mr. Obvious here. But if it were really as simple as correcting the problem, it would have been done by now. Time is against them, but will also help cure their problems. As in time spent together as a team and learning where everyone will be on the ice. Right now, they're still bumbling like Keystone Kops in their own end. And we all know what happens then. Also right now they still have the advantage that the other 30 teams haven't pulled away just yet. But that won't last very long. Especially if this trend continues.
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Sunday, January 20, 2013
ReCap 1/19 vs. Lightning: Raising the Curtain...to a Storm
While it's certainly good to be back recapping games, I had certainly hoped for better. To say the Capitals defecated all over themselves would only be a slight understatement, unfortunately. Overall, the only good thing I can take away from this is that the curtain was finally raised on this season. We can now see what the Caps' have to offer.
And folks it's sad to say, but it's not much.
I can't really break out the "I-told-you-sos" though this might be an appropriate alternative. But I can't since I never bothered with a season preview or anything like that. Now if I had, what I would have said as this was my observation was that this team was headed for failure. Adam Oates has the potential to be a great coach. But he needs to figure out a scheme that suits his personnel better. The up-tempo style he wishes to implement requires a commitment from everybody. And even when they all buy in there are still risks.
Case in point was Cory Conacher's goal in the third. Braden Holtby was having more than an off night anyway (more on this later), but he was pretty much left out to dry on this one. And it was far from the only incident where a Cap would get caught out of position, thus creating the dreaded odd-man rush. Here's one last hint--try not to let Steven Stamkos alone in front of your net...with the puck! If your defensemen are going to jump in on the play, they have to be smarter, faster, or both. Or get help from the forwards somehow. None of that happened.
The Comcast folks described Oates' philosophy as defense-first. Really? Well I can't say I saw a whole lot of that last night. They ended up giving up a total of 34 shots last night. Not good at all, even if your goalie is on fire, which Mr. Holtby was most certainly not. What I did see was a fair amount of jump on the offensive side. At least Captain Ovechkin looked to be on his game again, hitting and shooting. Only one problem: no goals, no assists and therefore no points in over 25 minutes of ice time. And as we all know, when your best player isn't on the scoresheet (for the right reasons anyway--nice diving penalty, Alex) it's awfully hard to win.
Much has been made about the Caps supposedly being able to get their Power Play on track this season. And so far they're off to a decent start, converting one out of four last night. However, special teams has another side to it and that's the Penalty Kill. Two goals allowed on six power play chances is not good at all. If the Caps expect to keep up, this has to get better and in a hurry.
Speaking of being shorthanded, there is one great way to not allow power play goals--and that's to not put people in the penalty box in the first damn place. Can we say lack of discipline? Two tripping calls plus a roughing minor in the third when you're trailing? Terrible.
All right, on to what was supposed to be a strength but was clearly the biggest weakness last night--goaltending. To be sure, neither goalie looked all that sharp last night. The Lightning's Anders Lindback looked shaky and a bit shellshocked after the first period, but held his ground and kept his team in it. Braden Holtby on the other hand just looked shaky. Yes he was screened on a couple of goals, but still didn't seem to have his angles covered. And having that much trouble with your sight lines even after some games in the minors is more than a little concerning.
Yay--Tom Poti made his way back into the lineup after a two-year absence and got an assist.
Boo--He looked a step slow and ended up a minus one.
Games like last night are why no one should have penciled in Holtby as the outright number one this year. And that's because this is the kind of thing he did last year. It also gives fuel for those that argued it was the previous coach's system that helped him and not his own stellar play. Can Holtby bounce back and prove he can handle the more wide-open style or will he end up riding the bench until the playoffs? Yes of course it's far too early to say "goalie controversy," but at the same time, there are only forty-odd games to work with. That leaves next to no time for a bad slump.
Again, if there's anything good to take away (other than we have actual NHL hockey again) it was the fact that a lot of the guys had a good amount of jump in their legs at least in the early going. And who knows? A better bounce here, one less penalty to kill there, the game might be different. At the very least there was no sign of the lack of effort that was painfully obvious at times last season. These guys know the intensity level has to bury the needle right from the off.
Look, I get the fact that they have only been a team for six days, and they sure played like it. But there's not a whole lot of time to work out the rust. Worse, there's precious little time to make adjustments for a system that may or may not work for this team. For example, the coaching staff may want to rethink the ideas of seven defensemen or Ovechkin on the Penalty Kill. But kinks like that have to be worked out on the fly if they want a shot at the playoffs. It's too early to panic, but it's certainly not too early to be concerned.
One down, forty-seven to go. Next is the home opener is Tuesday night against Winnipeg.
And folks it's sad to say, but it's not much.
I can't really break out the "I-told-you-sos" though this might be an appropriate alternative. But I can't since I never bothered with a season preview or anything like that. Now if I had, what I would have said as this was my observation was that this team was headed for failure. Adam Oates has the potential to be a great coach. But he needs to figure out a scheme that suits his personnel better. The up-tempo style he wishes to implement requires a commitment from everybody. And even when they all buy in there are still risks.
Case in point was Cory Conacher's goal in the third. Braden Holtby was having more than an off night anyway (more on this later), but he was pretty much left out to dry on this one. And it was far from the only incident where a Cap would get caught out of position, thus creating the dreaded odd-man rush. Here's one last hint--try not to let Steven Stamkos alone in front of your net...with the puck! If your defensemen are going to jump in on the play, they have to be smarter, faster, or both. Or get help from the forwards somehow. None of that happened.
The Comcast folks described Oates' philosophy as defense-first. Really? Well I can't say I saw a whole lot of that last night. They ended up giving up a total of 34 shots last night. Not good at all, even if your goalie is on fire, which Mr. Holtby was most certainly not. What I did see was a fair amount of jump on the offensive side. At least Captain Ovechkin looked to be on his game again, hitting and shooting. Only one problem: no goals, no assists and therefore no points in over 25 minutes of ice time. And as we all know, when your best player isn't on the scoresheet (for the right reasons anyway--nice diving penalty, Alex) it's awfully hard to win.
Much has been made about the Caps supposedly being able to get their Power Play on track this season. And so far they're off to a decent start, converting one out of four last night. However, special teams has another side to it and that's the Penalty Kill. Two goals allowed on six power play chances is not good at all. If the Caps expect to keep up, this has to get better and in a hurry.
Speaking of being shorthanded, there is one great way to not allow power play goals--and that's to not put people in the penalty box in the first damn place. Can we say lack of discipline? Two tripping calls plus a roughing minor in the third when you're trailing? Terrible.
All right, on to what was supposed to be a strength but was clearly the biggest weakness last night--goaltending. To be sure, neither goalie looked all that sharp last night. The Lightning's Anders Lindback looked shaky and a bit shellshocked after the first period, but held his ground and kept his team in it. Braden Holtby on the other hand just looked shaky. Yes he was screened on a couple of goals, but still didn't seem to have his angles covered. And having that much trouble with your sight lines even after some games in the minors is more than a little concerning.
Yay--Tom Poti made his way back into the lineup after a two-year absence and got an assist.
Boo--He looked a step slow and ended up a minus one.
Games like last night are why no one should have penciled in Holtby as the outright number one this year. And that's because this is the kind of thing he did last year. It also gives fuel for those that argued it was the previous coach's system that helped him and not his own stellar play. Can Holtby bounce back and prove he can handle the more wide-open style or will he end up riding the bench until the playoffs? Yes of course it's far too early to say "goalie controversy," but at the same time, there are only forty-odd games to work with. That leaves next to no time for a bad slump.
Again, if there's anything good to take away (other than we have actual NHL hockey again) it was the fact that a lot of the guys had a good amount of jump in their legs at least in the early going. And who knows? A better bounce here, one less penalty to kill there, the game might be different. At the very least there was no sign of the lack of effort that was painfully obvious at times last season. These guys know the intensity level has to bury the needle right from the off.
Look, I get the fact that they have only been a team for six days, and they sure played like it. But there's not a whole lot of time to work out the rust. Worse, there's precious little time to make adjustments for a system that may or may not work for this team. For example, the coaching staff may want to rethink the ideas of seven defensemen or Ovechkin on the Penalty Kill. But kinks like that have to be worked out on the fly if they want a shot at the playoffs. It's too early to panic, but it's certainly not too early to be concerned.
One down, forty-seven to go. Next is the home opener is Tuesday night against Winnipeg.
Saturday, January 19, 2013
Let There Be Hockey
We are hours away from the dropping of the puck to finally open the 2013 NHL season, the 96th one in its history. I couldn't let it go however without posting my own response to the (insert laughter) advertised apology recent seen in major news outlets across North America. Enjoy.
Let there be the donning of home jerseys, t-shirts and costumes.
Let there be footsteps boarding subways, metros, trains, and vehicles.
Let there be that knowing smile between child and parent when their home rink comes into view.
And yes, let there be the ringing of coins and cash and the swiping of cards as the teams collect our hard won wages.
Let the arenas swell with crowds of fans young and old.
Let the ticket takers' smile be like home as they welcome us back.
Let the anticipation be like never before, the buzzing of people like sweet music.
And yes, let there be lines longer than city blocks to all concessions and bathrooms.
Let us all roar when our teams take the ice.
Let there be oohing and aahing as we watch the warmups.
Let there be that familiar wince hearing the puck clink off the glass.
And yes let there be apologetic ceremonies to open a season we once thought was lost.
Let them drop the puck at center ice.
Let there be skating and scoring and sweat towards one common goal.
Let red lights indeed flash and the sirens so sound
And yes let there be the shaking of entire buildings and communities when the home teams score.
Let there be those who watch from far and away.
Let them connect through devices; the fruits of technology's wonder.
Let us all suffer, willingly or not, through talking heads and pundits as they babble and bloviate.
Let us all enjoy this majestic spectacle, a quest for a Cup; this grand dance, this awesomeness that is NHL hockey.
Let's you and me take in a game tonight...because we are hockey fans. And we are part of this greatness.
And the moral of THAT story is, if you're going to say something, think about it first before you say it.
Yes, I feel this strongly about it. Not as strongly as I do about certain other aspects of life. See here. But strong enough to feel pride in a game that sorely needs it. If you're a fan, please indulge to your hearts content...if not, I pity you. Because to me, this game more than any other is about people. We make things what they are. We are the memories that remain when all is said and done and we are what keeps it all going. Which is why it all exists in the first place. Make your game, whatever it is, a good one. One worth writing about.
You folks who are staying away do as you please, I don't begrudge you. But I know what I'm doing tonight. And most important of all, who I will be with.....
Only one thing left to say...DROP THE DAMN PUCK!!
Let there be the donning of home jerseys, t-shirts and costumes.
Let there be footsteps boarding subways, metros, trains, and vehicles.
Let there be that knowing smile between child and parent when their home rink comes into view.
And yes, let there be the ringing of coins and cash and the swiping of cards as the teams collect our hard won wages.
Let the arenas swell with crowds of fans young and old.
Let the ticket takers' smile be like home as they welcome us back.
Let the anticipation be like never before, the buzzing of people like sweet music.
And yes, let there be lines longer than city blocks to all concessions and bathrooms.
Let us all roar when our teams take the ice.
Let there be oohing and aahing as we watch the warmups.
Let there be that familiar wince hearing the puck clink off the glass.
And yes let there be apologetic ceremonies to open a season we once thought was lost.
Let them drop the puck at center ice.
Let there be skating and scoring and sweat towards one common goal.
Let red lights indeed flash and the sirens so sound
And yes let there be the shaking of entire buildings and communities when the home teams score.
Let there be those who watch from far and away.
Let them connect through devices; the fruits of technology's wonder.
Let us all suffer, willingly or not, through talking heads and pundits as they babble and bloviate.
Let us all enjoy this majestic spectacle, a quest for a Cup; this grand dance, this awesomeness that is NHL hockey.
Let's you and me take in a game tonight...because we are hockey fans. And we are part of this greatness.
And the moral of THAT story is, if you're going to say something, think about it first before you say it.
Yes, I feel this strongly about it. Not as strongly as I do about certain other aspects of life. See here. But strong enough to feel pride in a game that sorely needs it. If you're a fan, please indulge to your hearts content...if not, I pity you. Because to me, this game more than any other is about people. We make things what they are. We are the memories that remain when all is said and done and we are what keeps it all going. Which is why it all exists in the first place. Make your game, whatever it is, a good one. One worth writing about.
You folks who are staying away do as you please, I don't begrudge you. But I know what I'm doing tonight. And most important of all, who I will be with.....
Only one thing left to say...DROP THE DAMN PUCK!!
Sunday, January 13, 2013
You Can Wine Me, and You Can Dine Me, but....
So I get an email this fine foggy morning from the team that supposedly contains a "Special Announcement." I figure, ok, I'm game. I open it up and there it is...this season's schedule! For my initial reaction to said announcement, please go here and click the play button.
But wait there was more. Training camp starts on the 13th (that's today, so get out there, those that can and/or want to) which also happens to kick off....CAPITALS FAN APPRECIATION WEEK! Hubba-whaAAAA???
Week? Did that really say week?
I swear I had to rub my eyes and read that again. But yeah, it really said the word "week." As in seven days. Seven days. Insert ominous pause here.
ARE YOU FA--REEKING KIDDING ME?????????
This abomination of a lockout that is supposedly over lasted 113 days. That is well over 16 weeks. Sixteen weeks of time lost which cannot and will not ever be regained. And you want to insult our intelligence by trying to fool us into thinking it can all be made up for in the space of a week? Well, Mr. Theodore John Leonsis, you are going to have to do WAAAAY better than that.
Am I giving you the impression I wasn't feeling the fan appreciation? Good.
I took a minute to calm down and I figured I would read the fine print as it were. Well the "week" basically consists of a Jan. 17 event at the VC (that's the Verizon Center to you non-Caps hockey folk). This will be an open practice complete with free food of the diet-ruining mentality. Also scheduled is a Q & A with "select players," games for the kiddies, plus a meet-and-greet with Caps legends Rod Langway and Peter Bondra. And there's also the obligatory 20% discount at the Team Store. Do with that what you will.
The rest of the week consists of a goodwill tour by Slapshot who will be personally giving prizes away in and around the DC area. There is also a week-long contest at the website for other assorted giveaways including luxury box tickets. To top it all off, the Capitals will pay for all convenience fees for individual-game tickets purchased through Feb. 13. Take THAT Ticketmaster!
Okay. Well I had to admit after reading all that it didn't sound too bad....for a first offer. Come on, Ted. You're going to have to do a hell of a lot better than that over the course of this season to get back on our collective good side. If this indeed is your opening salvo then fine, let's see what else you've got. If not, well, the way this team may be going, you're going to wish you hadn't raised ticket prices last year. Just saying.
But wait there was more. Training camp starts on the 13th (that's today, so get out there, those that can and/or want to) which also happens to kick off....CAPITALS FAN APPRECIATION WEEK! Hubba-whaAAAA???
Week? Did that really say week?
I swear I had to rub my eyes and read that again. But yeah, it really said the word "week." As in seven days. Seven days. Insert ominous pause here.
ARE YOU FA--REEKING KIDDING ME?????????
This abomination of a lockout that is supposedly over lasted 113 days. That is well over 16 weeks. Sixteen weeks of time lost which cannot and will not ever be regained. And you want to insult our intelligence by trying to fool us into thinking it can all be made up for in the space of a week? Well, Mr. Theodore John Leonsis, you are going to have to do WAAAAY better than that.
Am I giving you the impression I wasn't feeling the fan appreciation? Good.
I took a minute to calm down and I figured I would read the fine print as it were. Well the "week" basically consists of a Jan. 17 event at the VC (that's the Verizon Center to you non-Caps hockey folk). This will be an open practice complete with free food of the diet-ruining mentality. Also scheduled is a Q & A with "select players," games for the kiddies, plus a meet-and-greet with Caps legends Rod Langway and Peter Bondra. And there's also the obligatory 20% discount at the Team Store. Do with that what you will.
The rest of the week consists of a goodwill tour by Slapshot who will be personally giving prizes away in and around the DC area. There is also a week-long contest at the website for other assorted giveaways including luxury box tickets. To top it all off, the Capitals will pay for all convenience fees for individual-game tickets purchased through Feb. 13. Take THAT Ticketmaster!
Okay. Well I had to admit after reading all that it didn't sound too bad....for a first offer. Come on, Ted. You're going to have to do a hell of a lot better than that over the course of this season to get back on our collective good side. If this indeed is your opening salvo then fine, let's see what else you've got. If not, well, the way this team may be going, you're going to wish you hadn't raised ticket prices last year. Just saying.
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