Yuck. It happens.
A collapse.
We get a lead. We lose it. We tie it up. We lose that momentum too.
Maybe we were tired. Maybe we were rattled with the change in routine. Maybe our defense broke down. Maybe our young goaltender had a truly sub par performance. Maybe their goaltender stole a game after a shaky start.
Maybe all teams in the NHL are good to very good and they just beat us - at home - after we played back to back. It is a big game for the other side, Hockey Night in Canada and all. I think we lead the NHL now in Saturday night games on Hockey Night in Canada now. Everyone gets up for us. We have no easy games to play any more.
Whatever.
They won. We lost. We get no points.
We move on.
We now hit the road. The schedule doesn’t get that much easier that is for sure. But schedules even up. We all play the same amount of games on the road and at home.
Even with the loss - a bad one - we remain in first place in terms of points in the NHL.
We don’t feel good about last night’s performance.
We shall improve.
Thanks for believing. Go Caps!
Tags: Hockey, Ted Leonsis, Ted's Take, Washington Capitals
It’s tough to try to play 60 minutes of hockey with 20 minutes’ worth of energy. I suppose cramming most of it into the first period was the least of evils.
Olympic-year scheduling sucks, by the way. I have become something of a crank on the subject.
Fewest losses in a season was eight by the ‘76-77 Canadiens in a league that was much different than today’s league, complete with salary cap. Caps, with seven losses this season, still have fewest losses (and have played a game or two more than some of the teams). Bumps in the road happen. Regroup and charge again. Let’s Go Caps!
Ted;
I really think your team will be there come the Conference Finals. You have great depth, balance and still have room to get better between now and the end of the season. As long as everybody stays healthy and you get solid goaltending, I think your role players and second line scoring will take you to the third round. Then it’s up to Ovechkin, Semin, Backstrom, Green and Varlamov. Look ofr Brendan Morrison to be a sleeper.
G.
Ted, I think the team that beat you leads the league in Saturday night HOC appearances…but I am glad to see you might appreciate what it is really like when the opposition gets up for every home game because they are on national tv.
Regards..
Hi Ted,
First of all, I’d like to thank you for turning the Capitals into such a fun team to watch and such a great organization. The Caps are a huge part of my life. I watch every game on my computer (I’m going to college in Montreal), and when I lived in Rockville I would try to go to as many games as possible. I love the Caps!
With that said, I fear that there’s a complacency setting in with this team. We’re under .500 against everyone except the Southeast, and we blow too many leads. Something is missing with this team. Maybe it’s a calming, veteran presence like Sergei Fedorov (I know we have Mike Knuble, but I think we need more leadership). Maybe it’s a gritty, crease-clearing defenseman (I know you’re probably tired of hearing that. However, I try SO HARD to love every player on our team, to see the positives, but aside from Green and the solid Jeff Schultz, every one of our defenders is absolutely mediocre, and it doesn’t seem like you, GMGM, or Boudreau are willing to acknowledge it. The defense is our Achilles’ Heel. In particular, Tom Poti is always screening our goaltender, especially on the PK, and he’s kryptonite in the playoffs with all those own goals). Another problem with the team is that the rest of the team’s performance seems to dip severely when Ovie’s in the lineup. Look at the stats for our power play with and without Ovie, and our Goals per Game. Obviously, Ovie doesn’t make us worse. He’s the best player in the world, so it must be the rest of the team. Too often, they’re content to let Ovie get the puck in the neutral zone and attempt to go 1 on 3, 1 on 4. Too many guys just floating through games watching Ovie. That’s another area that more veteran leadership can fix.
My point is, you keep saying we shall improve, and I want to believe you so much, but I don’t see how our guys are going to magically snap out of their bad habits, such as giving up leads and giving games away, or magically develop more talent on defense in the middle of the season. We need a trade. GMGM’s been willing to acknowledge weaknesses in the past. Hell, he was even willing to pull the gutsiest move of all, trading for Huet to replace perhaps the most beloved player in the history of the franchise. I’m worried that in the present, the brain trust is overevaluating our talent on defense, or our team’s maturity/killer instinct.
Still, no matter what happens, I’ll continue rocking the red till the day I die! I wish you and the Caps all the best!
Leo Feldblyum
Ted, why is it so hard for the other team to just play a better game when the caps lose? dont be a sore loser.
heard. - j
- rock the red maracas ;-\
This is what NHL ownership is all about. Being involved with the fans, even when things don’t go so great. I was at that game and it was one of the, if not the best NHL game I’ve ever been too. The caps are truly an amazing team to watch, even in defeat.
I just would like to say thank’s Ted for being the class of NHL ownership.