Not using goalies wisely is not luck. Using mummies instead of healthy depth is not luck. Remaining calm is not luck. Blocking 4x as many shots is not luck.
Throwing together a stud checking line, like Ward Hendy Brow and matching them up on 1 was not luck.
Wait! I was at the game tonight. I know the Capitals won the game tonight. Yet looking at this thread I see folks chirping about who's the better Coach, Hunter or Boudreau or Goalkeeper, Holtby or Varlamov. You think just once that some here would take the night off and just enjoy this team's current success.
The Caps literally advanced out of the first round by a skate blade. Rationalize that however you want, but most of us have been admitting for years that you need some lucky bounces to win in the playoffs. We just never got them before.
Callahan literally deflected what probably was going to be a harmless shot past Lundqvist in Game 7 of 2009. Not like the Caps needed any help though because Boudreau had them scoring so many goals in that game.
Wait! I was at the game tonight. I know the Capitals won the game tonight. Yet looking at this thread I see folks chirping about who's the better Coach, Hunter or Boudreau or Goalkeeper, Holtby or Varlamov. You think just once that some here would take the night off and just enjoy this team's current success.
Here's how any reasonable person should look at the Boudreau/Hunter situation:
-Boudreau was a flawed (but good) coach who did some great things with the organization with far-from-perfect personnel groupings. With a little more luck, his teams could have gone further in the playoffs. Despite the revisionist history, his teams did show a ton of mental fortitude and resilience. Like with just about all NHL coaches, his message seemingly got stale in the locker room and it was time to move on.
-Hunter is a flawed coach who is doing some great things in these playoffs with a far-from-perfect personnel grouping. His team has shown some excellent mental toughness and with a little more luck, can get far in the playoffs. It remains to be seen whether this success is repeatable and/or sustainable.
-Comparing the two is a fool's errand, since they never went to the playoffs with the same personnel.
I agree with a lot of that -- the personnel on defense is significantly better than under BB, and I have to think that just having Alzner+Carlson would ve been enough to advance past the Pens and Canadiens. GMGM also handicapped BB more with Nylander/Theodore fiascos that left no space to sign players that would've been useful.
On the other hand -- I can't help but feel that Hunter's style is more effective overall (sad but true). For example under BB against Tampa, the team just looked completely clueless.. this version of the team looks like it will take anybody 6 or 7 games to beat them.
So my feeling is -- yeah, it's quite possible BB could've won or at least made it to the finals in those years if he had basically the current personnel.. But in the long run, I think Hunter's system is more effective. I don't like watching 82 games of it, and I certainly don't think Hunter is perfect, but there are aspects he seems pretty good at, so.. assuming he'd want to come back, the Caps better have a real strong coach in mind if they chose to replace him.
The Caps literally advanced out of the first round by a skate blade. Rationalize that however you want, but most of us have been admitting for years that you need some lucky bounces to win in the playoffs. We just never got them before.
lol, seriously? that was the downfall of one BB? bad luck? c'mon man, you are knowledgable.
I agree with a lot of that -- the personnel on defense is significantly better than under BB, and I have to think that just having Alzner+Carlson would ve been enough to advance past the Pens and Canadiens. GMGM also handicapped BB more with Nylander/Theodore fiascos that left no space to sign players that would've been useful.
On the other hand -- I can't help but feel that Hunter's style is more effective overall (sad but true). For example under BB against Tampa, the team just looked completely clueless.. this version of the team looks like it will take anybody 6 or 7 games to beat them.
So my feeling is -- yeah, it's quite possible BB could've won or at least made it to the finals in those years if he had basically the current personnel.. But in the long run, I think Hunter's system is more effective. I don't like watching 82 games of it, and I certainly don't think Hunter is perfect, but there are aspects he seems pretty good at, so.. assuming he'd want to come back, the Caps better have a real strong coach in mind if they chose to replace him.
I agree with a lot of that -- the personnel on defense is significantly better than under BB, and I have to think that just having Alzner+Carlson would ve been enough to advance past the Pens and Canadiens. GMGM also handicapped BB more with Nylander/Theodore fiascos that left no space to sign players that would've been useful.
Carlson played the entire Montreal series and Alzner only got called up for Game 7 when Poti got hurt. He and Erskine were available too for Games 4 and 5 when ShaMo got hurt when Tyler Sloan was the chosen replacement.
Carlson played the entire Montreal series and Alzner only got called up for Game 7 when Poti got hurt. He and Erskine were available too for Games 4 and 5 when ShaMo got hurt when Tyler Sloan was the chosen replacement.
Question: have we pretty much out played the Rangers this series?
Game 1: Rangers dominant
Game 2: Caps dominant
Game 3: Caps dominant, but Lundquist outstanding; countless chances to win it in OT, ran out of steam by OT 3
Game 4: Caps dominant
Game 5: Caps dominant, but incredibly foolish/unlucky
Game 6: Caps dominant
So really, if not for 1) far more penalties called on the Caps (most of which were their fault, no doubt, but the refs have also been heavily interventionist this series) and 2) Lundquist being razor sharp in a couple of games, we have for the most part outplayed the Rangers, and should have closed out this series a couple of games ago.
just got in. had to listen to the game on radio on my iphone. Walton is great at PBP and glad we forced a game seven. didnt see much of the game so cant give much insight but you got to love how this team doesnt quit when the going gets tough like past caps teams
Question: have we pretty much out played the Rangers this series?
Game 1: Rangers dominant
Game 2: Caps dominant
Game 3: Caps dominant, but Lundquist outstanding; countless chances to win it in OT, ran out of steam by OT 3
Game 4: Caps dominant
Game 5: Caps dominant, but incredibly foolish/unlucky
Game 6: Caps dominant
I don't think we were dominant in game 5 by any stretch Yes, we blew a lead at the very end, but i thought we were lucky to have that lead in first place. I thought NYR dominated us in periods 1 and 2, no question.
Also, we were very fortunate with the sequence of calls and non-calls at the end of game 4. The non-call on the slash against boyle, the subsequent call on similar play against carlson, the non-call on the borderline trip(/dive) of callahan as he tried to clear the zone on PK, and then the blown call on knuble flicking the puck over the glass. We got lucky on those calls, pure and simple.
and matching them up on 1 was not luck.
