Capitals vs. Jets. 8:30pm. MTS Centre. 12.15.2011
 

TV: Comcast SportsNet
Radio: 1500AM, XM and Caps Radio Network
Pre-Game: Pre-Cap Podcast at 2 p.m., Two-Man Advantage at 2 p.m., John Walton’s one-on-one audio with Dale Hunter at 5 p.m., all on washingtoncaps.com.

Washington Capitals (15-13-1)
Winnipeg Jets (14-12-4)

http://capitals.nhl.com/club/preview...id=DL|WSH|home

Don't suck is what I'm hoping for tonight.

Evander Kane is going to score 263 goals tonight.

Someone is getting blown out.

Just dont know who.

My first thought as well, heh.

That and at least show some fire.

Don't lay an egg tonight.

So, how about showing up to the game tonight? Please?

Hoping to see Schultz in, old man hamrlik out.

dear Caps goalieman,
the puck is your friend. dont fight it all night. give this team a chance to win. okthanxbai.


dear Caps skaters,
yer goalies are a mess so do NOT let ANY shots on him PERIOD. dont tell him i said this.


dear Dale,
not enough anger. i know its a long season but i'm getting a little worried that we have not seen anything really nasty yet.

I'm pretty sure every single one of us is thinking that. At least show up and play hard dammit! I can't stand to watch another game where they are sleepwalking and giving up goal after goal while barely generating a shot on goal themselves.

If you can't beat them then at least beat em up! Old school. I like it. Maybe that is what we need to start a fire in their bellies. Get DJ in the lineup asap! Eakin and Perrault aren't that great in Dale's system anyhow

Too soon. Can't make an enemy of his players yet. Also, I don't get the impression he publicizes his feelings or interactions with his players. Always seems like he's just patronizing the press.

Expecting Jeckyll and Hyde, just not sure which one...

4-1 :jets

:help:

Caps Audio
 

http://illegalcurve.com/wp-content/u...ce-300x174.jpg

Alexander Ovechkin - Impact of Dale Hunter on team. How he is playing under the new system. Frustration with his game. Talks about first two games against Winnipeg, mentions Pavelec's success. Atmosphere at MTS Centre.

Nicklas Backstrom - Difference in Caps team under new coach. Difficulty in learning new system?

Jeff Halpern - Speaking about playing other southeast division teams and difference in coming to Winnipeg. MTS environment. Speaks about Jets and Winnipeg. Keys to solving Jets team. Changes in Washington systems.

Cody Eakin - Playing in his 1st season. Transition to new coach. Playing in front of hometown fans. Who to lean on.

Coach Hunter - Transition to head coach. What he likes about his team. Top 3. Scouting report on Jets. Being back in Washington, leading the team. Trying to turn the team around. Caps goaltending. Winnipeg fans.

To hear the audio, click here.

I know some players probably won't care, but I hope this quote makes it on to the board in the Caps room before tonight's game.

Boudreau: "This was the hardest I’ve seen a team work this year that I’ve been coaching, and that includes the Capitals."


source: curtiszupke Curtis Zupke

and this version also from twitter – icemancometh Eric Stephens

Boudreau: “I thought this was the hardest I’ve seen a team work this year that I’ve been coaching … and that includes the Capitals too.”

LOL

The bolded is especially funny.

During the 5 - 1 drubbing I thought Dale would have a nastier expression. I'm hoping he's just trying to get to know this group and nastiness will ensue if perfomances remain the same.

One thing he seemed to focus on to get his goaltenders off the hook is the amount of tipped goals the Flyers had. I wish the Caps forwards could learn from that experience and get in front of the net. And I guess it would if the Caps D would clear the front of the net.

Pretty douchey comment to make. You aren't with the Caps anymore Bruce, no need to reference them anymore.

5-2 Jets.

Well the Caps haven't exactly worked hard this year overall thats for sure. They seem so indifferent for some reason. Therefore I doubt it will have any affect on their motivation were this posted as "bulletin board" material.

OT, but I don't know where else to post this: I ****ing hate the loser point. (Yes, I hate the shootout more, but it's here to stay, so awarding a point for losing -- any kind of losing -- is idiotic). If the NHL recognized that losing is losing and scored things that way, the Caps would be 2 points behind FLA and ahead of WIN and would be 8th in the conference.

The conference would look like this:

1 BOSTON - 40
2 PHILADELPHIA - 38
3 NY RANGERS - 34
4 PITTSBURGH -34
5 TORONTO - 32
6 NEW JERSEY - 32
7 FLORIDA - 32
8 WASHINGTON - 30
9 BUFFALO - 30
10 WINNIPEG - 28
11 OTTAWA - 28
12 MONTRÉAL - 26
13 TAMPA BAY - 24
14 NY ISLANDERS - 18
15 CAROLINA - 18

For those who will say I'm grasping, this has been my position on the points/ranking since the SO was enacted.

Neuvy to start. Not sure what I think of that move.

No points for losing in the shootout would be the worst idea possible (yes, even worse than the shootout itself). Standard OTL's, though, I won't quibble with.

I've always wondered what it would be like if winning in OT wasn't actually 2 points, just 1 point and a "W" for tiebreaker purposes (makes every game a 2 point game but still makes the win worth something) but I've never felt like doing the math.

Please explain.