Tag Archives: New Jersey Devils

Mirror Image

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We beat NJ on the road last night 3 to 0.

At one point in the middle of the game we had less than 5 shots on goal and a 1-0 lead.

We looked like the vintage NJ Devils out there.We had great goaltending. We clogged up the neutral zone. We killed their 4 minute power play.

We played a mature and polished game. We were patient. We took what NJ gave us.

Segment one of a tough road trip is complete. We beat Montreal; we lost in Detroit by a goal; and we won in NJ.

We now have 94 points. While tied for first place in the East, we have played a lot more games than many of our competitors so it doesn’t matter right now. We only have 9 games left. We are close to clinching a playoff spot. We have even more injuries mounting. We shall rest up and go to Philly on Tuesday. Wish us well.

I hope you are proud of your team? Go Caps!

Toughest Game

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Tonight will be a very tough challenge of a game.

We play the resurgent New Jersey Devils in New Jersey.

They along with Detroit have been the consistently great performers over the past decade or so with Hall of Fame players with Stanley Cup wins. They are fighting for their playoff lives right now and are the hottest team in the NHL. They are loaded with talent and their goaltender is the best – statistically – perhaps ever to play the game. Their run reminds me of our run to make the playoffs on the last day of the season in our coach’s first year when he was then named NHL Coach of The Year.

As an organization, we respect them very much. The last time we played them in NJ we lost 5-0. I was there sitting with some friends and Gary Bettman. It wasn’t a fun night.

We can’t look forward to any future games.We can’t acknowledge we are short-handed.

We must play with focus and try to weather the storm.

This has been quite the trip – Montreal, Detroit, NJ and then on to Philadelphia – four of the best teams in the NHL all in one week’s time.

We only have 10 games left to play with 20 standings points on the line. We are 18 points ahead of the 9th place team. We haven’t even qualified for the playoffs yet. We have work to do. Never feel complacent. “Don’t look back – they might be gaining on you.”

Much Ado About Nothing

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I was at the game last night.

I witnessed first hand all of this activity mentioned in the article.

I also saw Alex Ovechkin and Alex Semin after the game in the locker room. They behaved in the right manner and were respectful to the process of losing a game on the road by the score of 5 to 0. They and all of their teammates were unhappy and quite somber.

They did have a quick chat with a player from the Devils in the outside hallway and at some point someone made a comment which elicited a guffaw from a player. It was too hard to figure out who made the comment and who laughed out loud.

The biggest issue was the location of this meeting which was too close to the media interview also in the hallway. There was no disrespect intended in any of the discussions and meeting, I am quite sure of that. It is a shame that this is being made into something that it wasn’t meant to be because honestly these meetings happen literally after every game outside the Capitals locker room in the little hallway that leads to the visiting locker room at Verizon Center – win or lose.

Let us nip this one in the bud.

Many of our players didn’t play well last night. We can take issue with team performance.

This impromptu meeting should have been held somewhere else but it was not a sign of disrespect in any manner and I was not offended. I didn’t like the way we played but I saw the players acting in the right way in the locker room after the game.

Bad is Bad

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Good is good.

Last night’s game was ugly and we were done after ten minutes of the first period. Bad.

No one player can take accountability for our success or our failure. In any regard.

When you lose two games out of three by a score of 5 to 0, the team is in a funk. Injuries are taking their toll and it is time to regroup and do a gut check.

At the same time, after a quarter of the season, the team still is ranked high in all categories in the NHL and is tied for first place in the NHL. Good.

We will have peaks and valleys in performance. While troublesome, we want to be at peak performance though out the season. It just can’t happen. We will lose games and whether the score is 5-0 or 1-0, a loss is a loss.

So it is good to look at all the little things we are doing wrong as a team but we also can’t lose sight of the big picture.

It is a long grueling season. We need productivity from our best players. We need leadership from our best players in times like these.

Goaltending matters and last night’s injuries and call-ups weren’t the best way to get focused in such a critical format but it is what it is. No whining. We are good enough to overcome these situations.

Onward to the rest of the week. I attended the game last night in NJ. I sat with league officials. I met with the owner of the Devils. I had a stiff upper lip through out the night. I got home at 12:30 am. It was a 19 hour day and not a fun night. Life will go on. I am as disappointed in our performance last night as you all are but I can’t lose sight of the overall big picture. Go Caps!

Our First Blowout Loss

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That is a fact. Last night was the first game this season where we were down three goals to an opponent. It was an odd game in that we jumped on them 2-0 to start the game.

Twenty games in and one loss of magnitude. It happens.

We seemed tired. We seemed short-handed. We didn’t draw a single power play for a long time last night either.

New Jersey is playing great team oriented hockey. They are the hottest team in the NHL. They deserved the win.

We have lost to them twice without Alex Ovechkin in the lineup in the last two weeks.

We have to regroup now.

Injuries are piling up on our end. Jurcina. Gordon. Knuble. Ovechkin.

It is a long season. It is a grind.

Back to back games are tough. We get a couple of days off before our next game against the New York Rangers perhaps reinforcements are on the way. Here’s to better health. Go Caps!

We are For Real

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Don’t you think?

We have played a pretty tough schedule post All-Star game: Boston. Detroit. Ottawa. New Jersey.

We have garnered 7 of 8 points.

We have played quite well against the tougher foes in the East. We have a 14 point lead over the number 2 team in the Southeast division.

But we are all still restless. We know we can play better defensively and play better on the penalty kill. We still seem to be bitten by the injury bug with Clark, Johnson, Kozlov and Pothier.

As an aside, I knew Mike Green would play with a chip on his shoulder post All-Star team snub. He is looking like a first team All-Star on D to me of late!