one goal was a result of a bad switch between green and hamrlik. the other goal was created by a deflected shot or pass. neuvirth was going one way and the puck bounced the other way right to a canes player who then passed it on and neuvirth never caught up.
I was at the game and haven't gone back to watch the replays yet but IMO Neuvirth was slow getting over on the 2nd goal and I have no idea why he was flopping around like a fish on the ice on the 3rd goal. The 1st goal? Yeah no chance as the Canes shredded the PK with the end result a one timer from the other side of the ice but the other 2 I definitely think he could have played better.
Exactly. At first glance, unless a goalie is truly WAY out of position, you can probably always make a case that "he couldn't do anything about this one or that one." It's the exact same line many kept repeating the entire playoffs. Guess what? What seperates the great ones is that they DO something on those ones. I'm not saying Neuvy was bad or anything, but I doubt Vokoun's doing a fish-on-dry-land impression on that last goal.
Only one game, but I am really impressed. Backstrom and Green looked great. I loved Backstrom stepping into Tlusty during the 2nd Period. Semin took that penalty, but he just seems like a different guy. I really am excited this season has started. Looking forward to Monday.
Perhaps the comments from Steckel and Brads got to him. Either way, he played a marvelous game last night.
i dont expect boudreau to put everything on the table for us to see. but i do believe him when he said that both goalies were going to play in the first two games. that neuvirth getting game 1 was a reward for his preseason play.
i didnt see 28 on the game winning power play. could well be that he was left on the bench as punishment for the penalty.
i will say that maybe boudreau is making good points with who is playing and not playing, but the penalty kill needs the kid to be effective and it would be helpful having him in. that said, the first ppg against was the result of a good carolina bounce of the puck that put the pk behind the 8 ball. the second ppg against was the result of a bad switch by hamrlik and green which i would is probably nothing more than a getting to know each other thing. hamrlik appeared to have a confused look and his body language backed that up.
28 was on the bench for the last PP because it was only 4 on 3. You needed 2 guys to play the point, and 2 guys for the faceoff (we were getting tossed out left and right all night). Semin can't do either of those, so he's out.
Backstrom was flying around, laying hits, took over a pk, and had 2 assists. His shot was inaccurate, but at least he was pulling the trigger.
MP was small, bad on the faceoff, and terrible along the boards. MaJo was a big part of our pk last year (which sucked last night), better on the boards, and was getting better in the dot. You don't bench that for a 6th rounder who wildly spins and throws pucks to look dazzling.
The 3rd line is going to be a mismatch for a lot of teams. I loved it. Chimera looks great, and if he keeps that up people will think 1.8 mil is a bargain. He blew by that defense.
If chim can complete just 1/4 of his breakaways and stop taking dumb penalties... Then yes his speed and board work makes for a solid 3rd liner and a good deal.
28 was on the bench for the last PP because it was only 4 on 3. You needed 2 guys to play the point, and 2 guys for the faceoff (we were getting tossed out left and right all night). Semin can't do either of those, so he's out.
maybe i am missing something. the caps had 8-19-6-52 out for that 4 on 3. the caps standard 4 on 3 setup has been 28-19-8-52. 28 was off and 6 was on.
That was the most physical game I've seen Brooks play in a long time. I don't know if it was his linemates rubbing off on him or what, but I hope he keeps it up.
Don't get me wrong, I LOVE how that line played, but I was actually a little disappointed in Ward's (lack of) physicality. On the flip side I was very pleased and a little surprised with his hands and soft touch, but I thought he passed up a couple opportunities to deliver a hit or just finish a check.
If chim can complete just 1/4 of his breakaways and stop taking dumb penalties... Then yes his speed and board work makes for a solid 3rd liner and a good deal.
I've always called him Mendoza. The kid from mighty Ducks with a ton of speed, but couldn't do anything with it. Last night he was great.
And since someone brought it up. I thought Neuvy was bad last night. He doesn't make the timely saves. He's just there. He is going to be a middle of the pack goalie.
its more like wideman was replacing ovechkin on the point and ovie replacing semin. its hard to say since we didnt see the second unit
i am with you if the idea was that boudreau wanted to move ovechkin off the point.
he didnt seem to be leaning that way, though. the caps scored 5 on 3 with ovechkin on the point. the 2nd unit got some time and when the first unit returned 8 was back on the point.
i see 2 + 2=4. ovechkin had been on the point. 28 took a questionable penalty at the very end of regulation. semin coming out of the box put the caps on the pp with the caps standing behind their own net with the puck. instead of staying out, semin went to the bench.
last time i checked there was no boudreau post game presser on the website either.
There's a lot of deserved talk about the third line, but I think the fourth line also deserves to be singled out for praise. They were not scored on, they were very physical and (it seemed to me that) they wasted a lot of shifts by Carolina's top line/d pairing cycling in the offensive zone.
I loved the way Bruce managed ice time last night and I think a big part of it is that he finally has the depth to do so.
There's a lot of deserved talk about the third line, but I think the fourth line also deserves to be singled out for praise. They were not scored on, they were very physical and (it seemed to me that) they wasted a lot of shifts by Carolina's top line/d pairing cycling in the offensive zone.
I loved the way Bruce managed ice time last night and I think a big part of it is that he finally has the depth to do so.
Well we were only scored on last night when we were down a man. So overall, 5 v 5 we did well.
There's a lot of deserved talk about the third line, but I think the fourth line also deserves to be singled out for praise. They were not scored on, they were very physical and (it seemed to me that) they wasted a lot of shifts by Carolina's top line/d pairing cycling in the offensive zone.
I loved the way Bruce managed ice time last night and I think a big part of it is that he finally has the depth to do so.
the new jeff halpern is a significant upgrade over either gordon or steckel.
I was shocked to come home and see in the boxscore that the Caps won the face-off battle last night. From my vantage point, it seemed they got dominated. Was it just generous home score-keeping, or did they legitimately have the advantage?
I was shocked to come home and see in the boxscore that the Caps won the face-off battle last night. From my vantage point, it seemed they got dominated. Was it just generous home score-keeping, or did they legitimately have the advantage?
You must have just been watching MP get outmuscled to the puck.
There's a lot of deserved talk about the third line, but I think the fourth line also deserves to be singled out for praise. They were not scored on, they were very physical and (it seemed to me that) they wasted a lot of shifts by Carolina's top line/d pairing cycling in the offensive zone.
I loved the way Bruce managed ice time last night and I think a big part of it is that he finally has the depth to do so.
Agree on both points. I noted earlier in the game thread that the ice time among D-men was almost perfectly balanced 1 through 6 (like 10 seconds seperating 4 guys, with Green and Wides a little ahead due to PP). And I was surprised that Hendricks and co. were able to establish a cycle as often as they did. That would be a welcome bonus if they can do that every so often.
There's a lot of deserved talk about the third line, but I think the fourth line also deserves to be singled out for praise. They were not scored on, they were very physical and (it seemed to me that) they wasted a lot of shifts by Carolina's top line/d pairing cycling in the offensive zone.
I loved the way Bruce managed ice time last night and I think a big part of it is that he finally has the depth to do so.
wasn't that the 4th line that was scored on for the game tying goal?
the third goal against? i dont think so. laich was the guy that carlson hung out to dry in front of the net. if i recall it was the third line with halpern taking chimera's spot to get two centers on the ice.
I've always called him Mendoza. The kid from mighty Ducks with a ton of speed, but couldn't do anything with it. Last night he was great.
And since someone brought it up. I thought Neuvy was bad last night. He doesn't make the timely saves. He's just there. He is going to be a middle of the pack goalie.
