Caps are playing the flyers and are sucking at the moment.
Will the captain lift his game? No
Will Hendricks bust a few faces open? No
Can a goalie steal it for us? Maybe
All of these questions and more will be answered.
Go Caps.
Poti will maybe replace Schultz. A Cap will get a penalty. Brouwer will flip the puck over the glass for another penalty. Flyers score. Flyers win.
On a serious I wonder what the lineup will be. Sit a different forward without a first name starting with M? Put one or more of the 35 + d-men back in the lineup? Trade one of the aforementioned? Let Schultz continue to soldier around out there? Bench John Carlson? (just kidding) Bench Backstrom? (just kidding) Start Holtby? Call a timeout after the other team ties in the third? Ask Hamrlik and Poti how the nachos and hot dogs are?
I have never been a big fan of coaches pretending his lines are X, and then when the game is on the line, changing it up to what I would call the go to lines. And then expecting instant success.
The problem with Ovi and grinders, is all the ****ing PP and PKs that will be called this year, cripples his lines. Ovi is out for the PP, the grinders out on PK duty, the lines a mish mash afterwards, and sure enough there is another penalty before the 4 lines are united.
It's an exercise in futility right now. While Oates wants his scorer (singular) and scoring lines balanced, he has to recognize scoring has not increased.
Captain! Right full rudder, 30 degree down angle. Aye, sir. This one's going to be close.
Ovi needs to be at RD to maintain all our offensive balance on the same side and make it easy for teams to prepare for.
Bruce got a free pass trying to slip old man Feds to D in playoff OT. Maybe Oates can try Ovi. Its one way to get his ass to stop from getting too far ahead of the play.
Before, you would hold your breath during an onslaught where they'd hold the zone for minutes at a time, teeing off ten shots on a single play. Eventually they'd score.
Now, you hold your breath...wheneever the other team has the puck because you know our defensemen are just going to stray from the crease and do whatever the **** they want. Eventually, the other team will score.
I have never been a big fan of coaches pretending his lines are X, and then when the game is on the line, changing it up to what I would call the go to lines. And then expecting instant success.
The problem with Ovi and grinders, is all the ****ing PP and PKs that will be called this year, cripples his lines. Ovi is out for the PP, the grinders out on PK duty, the lines a mish mash afterwards, and sure enough there is another penalty before the 4 lines are united.
It's an exercise in futility right now. While Oates wants his scorer (singular) and scoring lines balanced, he has to recognize scoring has not increased.
Captain! Right full rudder, 30 degree down angle. Aye, sir. This one's going to be close.
Will Oates be happy with another loss?
He's okay with up to 10 losses as long as they play good. What does "good" mean? I'm using New Jersey as a barometer because Oates felt they played better there than against Buffalo. Personally I thought Neuvirth saved their collective arses to salvage a point.
So this should last about only 4 more games the way I figure.
He's okay with up to 10 losses as long as they play good. What does "good" mean? I'm using New Jersey as a barometer because Oates felt they played better there than against Buffalo. Personally I thought Neuvirth saved their collective arses to salvage a point.
So this should last about only 4 more games the way I figure.
I am thinking, more like 4.... tee. 40.
Its a short year. Salvatore said it took 25 games to get a system in place in NJ, not the 15-20 some have alluded to. 25 games is pretty much the year. George does not often make knee jerk moves, hence our team the way it is. Players have no fear of being traded. Zilch. Probably Oates too.
I am really really hoping George goes behind the bench if Oates does get canned but I just don't see it.
Ovi will be the lighting rod even if Oates plays him with grinders all year.
I think the season is already lost. Well maybe not. LOL But to leap frog 6 teams to grab the 8 seed is gonna be tough. On one hand you have Winnipeg, Carolina, Florida to get past. They will be playing each other a lot so they'll be getting points and 3 point games will be killers. And then you have the Rangers, Philly and Buffalo.
Is winning the division the only chance? Hope Tampa Bay falters and the Caps beat up on the division the rest of the way?
I have never been a big fan of coaches pretending his lines are X, and then when the game is on the line, changing it up to what I would call the go to lines. And then expecting instant success.
The problem with Ovi and grinders, is all the ****ing PP and PKs that will be called this year, cripples his lines. Ovi is out for the PP, the grinders out on PK duty, the lines a mish mash afterwards, and sure enough there is another penalty before the 4 lines are united.
It's an exercise in futility right now. While Oates wants his scorer (singular) and scoring lines balanced, he has to recognize scoring has not increased.
Captain! Right full rudder, 30 degree down angle. Aye, sir. This one's going to be close.
Will Oates be happy with another loss?
Just wrote a PM reply on this very subject.
The thinking on placing AO along-side grinders is three-fold:
1- AO, at some point, will score his X amount of goals.
2- When he does score, many of the goals will involve one-timers and solo efforts, so better players are not necessary... and can be used elsewhere.
3- Placing him with these 2 gives us a bit of a checking line, which feeds into AO's style: slow up your opponents via checks, and AO can generally beat a good portion of the league taking the puck into the opponents zone. An added plus is he can get off many shots with the D still in motion, generating a moving screen, so to speak.
As to it affecting the PP: very few teams use their set lines on the PP... they stack them with their better players... and they practice these special teams extensively, so it's no big deal.
As to the PK... AO is a liability... and neither him or his current linemates are gonna be nominated for a Selke anytime soon.
