Another shootout loss.
We hosted Ron Weber and his wife in our box again last night. As OT ended, Ron tapped me on the shoulder and said, “Thank you Ted. We have to leave now. The real hockey game is over.” And then he left.
True story.
We are now 1-9 in games that go to OT or shootouts. I don’t know what it means. I do know we have left a lot of standing points on the ice. If we win a couple more of these games and get that second point, we are much better situated in the standings.
Oh well.
When you only take 17 shots on goal; go 0-2 on the power play; and take one shot in total on the power play, you take the point in a 2 to 1 shootout loss and be satisfied. The game was tense and exciting and our young goaltender is playing very well.
The system is designed to make for close scoring and low scoring games. We are being very productive in gaining standings points while being short-handed in terms of man power. One more important game left before the six day All-Star break.
Rest up. Heal up.
Onward then to last 30 or so games of the season.
Thanks for coming to the game last night. Go Caps!
The Caps MUST make a move to obtain more second line scoring. There is way too much pressure on the first line to score. This year being patient with player development while teams such as the Penguins and Flyers make acquisitions that put them over the top is UNACCEPTABLE. Yes, that means a Cody Eakin is on the table. A franchise building from within reaches a point where a deadline move is just the ticket for a deep Cup run and the Capitals have reached that point. Don’t sell the farm but an asset is worth a Cup and any good front office knows that. Doing nothing this year or acquiring a meaningless 4th line winger is telling the fan base that the front office doesn’t believe the team is Cup ready. Go Caps!
I forgot to add. The natives are indeed restless. A quick look at the WP threads indicate a growing disdain for the way this team is playing, is constituted, is basically just not built like a winner. I don’t know if it’s GMGM’s fault or BB’s fault. Something clearly is VERY WRONG with this team.
I told my friend with the season tickets that the Caps will lose the first two games after the break. After all, they’ll be playing good teams and when was the last time the Caps beat anyone good. I told him the Caps would be lucky to beat the Thrashers tonight and he wanted to have another small bet. Should have taken the bet and the money. This team has degenerated to a merely competent, middle of the pack (maybe worse) team. They do not appear ready to win anything, let alone a playoff series. Ted, you ask us to be patient. We’ve waited how many years and after the promises of the last few years, we’re back wallowing in mediocrity. At least Verizon still sells out. Although I think that another fruitless year (as this one is shaping out to be) will change that readily. Too bad. You do so much for the community and you deserve better. The city deserves a team it can rally around on. The Caps was that team. I don’t think it is anymore. Simply put, the product does not have the aura of a winner, plain and simple.
Iginla’s cap hit = impossible.
Check it out on capgeek.com, the Caps have about 1.2 million of cap space available, which means no Iginla or anything without giving up like assets.
1-9 in OT is pretty lousy, no two ways about it. Pretty average team this year, decent defense, lots of under performing expensive assets, constant obsession with the Penguins. It feels like the 90′s all over again!
A record of 1-9 in OT or shootouts means that
a) Goaltending is not as good as the other teams’ goaltending.
b) Wrong players are being sequenced in the shootouts, which is a function of good or bad coaching.
c) Caps are being outhustled when it counts
d) They just aren’t as good as the other teams that they are playing.
Caps only score one goal against the Rangers. So far tonight, Florida has score four and the game is not even finished yet. Your stars aren’t stars, or at least they are not playing like stars. If you can’t get this team motivated now, they’re not going to be motivated in the playoffs. There is a lot of angst amongst the fanbase, but the players respond by scoring nothing or close to nothing. They don’t even make losing exciting.
I am afraind that a lot of teams in the East (and West) has passed us by. Too bad. Maybe next year is here, and so far the results have been middling. The excitement level is definitely dropping, especially among marginal hockey fans in the area. Sure the Caps are still selling out, but the defeats are more predictable than the victories.
A free point doesn’t change the disturbing lack of offense and the fact that a team with a number of AHL players, several rookie or almost rookie defenseman, and a backup goalie held the Capitals to one goal.
Is this not concerning to you at all?
What you need to do Mr. Leonsis is go out and get a proven veteran like a Jarome Iginla to get some leadership and secondary scoring. If you can remember Mario Lemieux and the Pens struggled until they made a deal for Ron Francis and they never looked back winning two cups….you need to pull the trigger soon because this team is not going far into the playoffs.
What the 1-9 record in OT or shootouts means is that the Caps definitely have to avoid OT in the playoffs!
The team has bought into the defense-first style of play, and that’s a strong first step toward a deeper Cup run. But buying into it and getting comfortable with it are two different things. The lack of scoring (especially on the PP) during this transition to D-first has made them overly cautious about making mistakes and less aggressive in exploiting scoring opportunities.
They’re more focused on not giving up the next goal than they are on scoring it.
BB is right. When the shot’s there, don’t hesitate, don’t wait for the perfect play to develop. Take the shot! Go to the net for rebounds. And THEN worry about getting back on defense.
It’s a new way to play for these guys. They’ll get the hang of it. Just takes time.
And BTW … move Ovie down to 4th or 5th on the shootout line-up.
Ron’s right – the shootout isn’t hockey, and the awarding of 2 standings points for some games and 3 standings points for others is _bad_ for hockey.
Im sorry Mr. Leonsis but you cant use the man power excuse this time. The Rangers were playing with a bunch of AHL players who out shot us and out worked us in our building.
The new style that Bruce is using does call for more defense like you said but when you only score 1 goal against a team like that and a back up goalie, its not a good sign. 2 wins against playoff positioned teams since the end of November is also not going to get it done.
This team has not recovered from the long losing streak despite winning what was the most important game of the year (1 of the 2 wins) against the Pens. Something will have to be done to spark this team. It will have to come either it come in the form of a new coach or 1 or 2 new players. Its been a solid 2 full months of very sub par hockey for this club and with the way they’ve been playing…will not make it far in the playoffs (if they make the playoffs at all at this pace).
Your guest was right. Can we please get rid of the shoot out!
Ted,
what’s going on with the team? What happened to the idea of being puck possession team. Playing solid D is great, but you cannot win games without offense. What is your take on this issue?
Niko