The main difference between the Caps and Bruins is grit and goaltending. Not saying our goaltending was bad but it was average and that rarely gets it done in the playoffs.
In regards to grit its something we really need to add. Im not one to throw the blame on Semin but I would move him ans Fehr and bring in some more consistent grittier players. Semin could be a valuable player for a team ( yes in the playoffs too) but he doesnt fit very well here with the lack of grit in the top 9 of the lineup. I really hope that is something we address this offseason.
Do you not talk in circles? First you call out Julian and the early exits of his team and now it is he has a much more talented team??
Who picked Boston to win the cup this year with this talent laden team?? no one.
It was a combo of good talent and coaching. Not one or the other, that is all I am saying. Boston is talented, but no one picked them to win the cup. Thomas has been awesome, but after last year would you have picked him up to be your number 1? Credit goes to both the players and coaching. Don't hang out Julian because he got it done compared to BB's unfinished businees.
I'm not talking in circles. I'm simply comparing Julien and Boudreau prior to this year, to show how silly and petty all of this incessant Boudreau-bashing is.
You made the case that the Bruins are less talented than the Caps and implied that Julien did more with less. I refuted that.
I'm not talking in circles. I'm simply comparing Julien and Boudreau prior to this year, to show how silly and petty all of this incessant Boudreau-bashing is.
You made the case that the Bruins are less talented than the Caps and implied that Julien did more with less. I refuted that.
I really think prior to the season, no one on these boards would've thought the Bruins had more talent then the Caps for the exception of maybe on D. The goaltending would've been disputed considering the young talent we had that had excelled and Thomas' demise the season before. With that, we can all play monday morning QB and now say the Bruins had more talent, but prior to the season's start these boards didn't even have the Bruins close to the Caps when ranking them.
To be fair, the opinions of fans before the start of a NHL season has nothing to do with a team's quality after the finals for two reasons. First, fan perceptions are crap, and second, things change significantly in this league over the course of 9 months.
I really think prior to the season, no one on these boards would've thought the Bruins had more talent then the Caps for the exception of maybe on D. The goaltending would've been disputed considering the young talent we had that had excelled and Thomas' demise the season before.
Dude I don't know what to tell you if you think anyone thought that the Caps and Bruins were anywhere close to equal in goaltending going into this last season.
The Caps were going into the season with Valamov, who had a total of 51 combined NHL regular season and playoff games under his belt and Neuvirth who only had 22 NHL regular season games behind him.
The Bruins had Thomas, the '08-09 Vezina winner, and though his followup season was not up to that standard it was still better than anything the Caps guys had done, and Rask who had just wrestled the Bruins No. 1 job from Thomas with a sub 2 GAA and .931 save % in 45 games.
The Bruins were loaded in net going into this last season and the Caps pretty darn unproven. Nobody saw them as anywhere close to equal in that area.
yeah I remember TT struggling two seasons ago. It seems the goalie searches just has to play itself out. Like happened in Boston.
We groom the kids for years, and then when it comes time to move one, they arent worth much. It just seems like its not a good ROI. I just cant yet shake the feeling that if we move Varly for peanuts, we will regret that one day.
I don't think the Caps will find a trading partner for a goalie given what they'd want back. Even if they did, the salary cap worries me, as all three of those goalies are pretty cheap.
Thomas' GAA and save % during his 'struggles' were ranked 18th and 16th respectively so even then he was a good goaltender. They were looking to move him because Rask had an incredible year though and Thomas' cap hit was definitely up there.
The main difference between the Caps and Bruins is grit and goaltending. Not saying our goaltending was bad but it was average and that rarely gets it done in the playoffs.
In regards to grit its something we really need to add. Im not one to throw the blame on Semin but I would move him ans Fehr and bring in some more consistent grittier players. Semin could be a valuable player for a team ( yes in the playoffs too) but he doesnt fit very well here with the lack of grit in the top 9 of the lineup. I really hope that is something we address this offseason.
Sure, but not NHL proven yet. Kind of nice to throw in some new faces though. Kind of reminds me when played Halpern back in his rookie year. I can only hope they can be that of an impact. Everything I've seen of those two, I like.
The main difference between the Caps and Bruins is grit and goaltending. Not saying our goaltending was bad but it was average and that rarely gets it done in the playoffs.
In regards to grit its something we really need to add. Im not one to throw the blame on Semin but I would move him ans Fehr and bring in some more consistent grittier players. Semin could be a valuable player for a team ( yes in the playoffs too) but he doesnt fit very well here with the lack of grit in the top 9 of the lineup. I really hope that is something we address this offseason.
Eh, not really. The Caps made numerous outrageous mental errors against Tampa that cost them the series.
Lecavalier scoring in OT on a bad line change comes to mind.
More than anything it's about discipline and leadership.
After re-watching the youtubes and the interview with Sjogren, I like what i see and hear. He seems to have a great attitude and under the radar. Other than the youtubes and the interview, I don't know much about him. His big hit in the one video is pretty nice and I like the moves in another video.
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