Why Caps?

Moose#11 said:
Kuznetsov and Burakovsky were invisible,pure and simple.to get outplayed by guys like Sheary,Rust and a 40 something Cullen is embarrassing.lends creedence to my "lazy Russian" theory i've had since Alexei Kovalev.
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Wow, dude. Xenophobic much? Never mind that you named an Austrian in that list, and that Alexander Ovechkin is on that team.
 
after watching the whole series I can say Kuznetsov does NOT like playoff hockey he didn't seem to like the intensity or anything that comes with it and didn't seem to understand why everyone was playing harder than normal
 
To me the Caps downfall was the very noticeably absent depth scoring, which ironically is what bolstered their regular season dominance because it was more than Ovy and Backstrom. To which I lay at the foot of Kuznetsov he was absolutely non existent throughout both rounds 2pts in twelve games for a guy who was the first to lead the Caps in scoring in 10 years not named Ovechkin or Backstrom is not going to cut it. I also, place some blame on Trotz for being so stubborn to sticking with certain lines for so long before finally mixing it up a bit games 5 and 6. And the final bit of blame goes to Orpik for taking a three games suspension, then a double minor which lead to two goals in a must win game. And to those who believe that Ovy "can't seem to win" this has been going on well before Ovechkin arrived in DC, the Caps organization has been tormented by the playoffs (especially by the Pens) for years pre-Ovechkin.
 
Nick2317 said:
after watching the whole series I can say Kuznetsov does NOT like playoff hockey he didn't seem to like the intensity or anything that comes with it and didn't seem to understand why everyone was playing harder than normal
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I'm not sure about that, because last year he tied with Ovechkin for team lead in points. He was actually phenomenal last year, which is why I really began drinking the Cup kool aid because we finally had scoring outside of Ovy. However this year, he did appear to be a bit disinterested or buy in to what the team was looking to achieve.
 
Bringing in Oshie was a winner. But adding Williams and Richards as the "battle tested playoff veterans" was a massive failure. I still don't understand why they played Richards every game, he was beyond worthless. He had a wide open half a net and couldn't hit it, absolute shank. I can't believe Trotz didn't sit him in favor of a younger hungry forward with some wheels and energy, I just shake my head at riding a dead donkey when any other player would have been a better option. Hell, put Latta in there and let him run wild, at least he'd bring some energy to the game.
 
pathshot said:
Wow, dude. Xenophobic much? Never mind that you named an Austrian in that list, and that Alexander Ovechkin is on that team.
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actually,quite the opposite.my second favorite player ever is Sergei Nemchinov,a Russian who never took a shift off in his entire career,was a great influence to other Nationals in the locker room and a humble generous man who i had the great opportunity to meet in person.the point i'm trying to make is more often than not,it's Eastern Euro's who seem to fold during hard physical play.just my observation over my life of watching Hockey.
oh,and i realize Burakovsky is from Austria,i do assume that he is of Russian descent due to the 'sky' spelling at the end of his name.:)
 
MMarch said:
Bringing in Oshie was a winner. But adding Williams and Richards as the "battle tested playoff veterans" was a massive failure. I still don't understand why they played Richards every game, he was beyond worthless. He had a wide open half a net and couldn't hit it, absolute shank. I can't believe Trotz didn't sit him in favor of a younger hungry forward with some wheels and energy, I just shake my head at riding a dead donkey when any other player would have been a better option. Hell, put Latta in there and let him run wild, at least he'd bring some energy to the game.
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Justin Williams played just fine. I'll agree on the Richards portion though
 
geschrocks33 said:
Justin Williams played just fine. I'll agree on the Richards portion though
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I'm with this.

I saw Williams outskating and outhustling guys 10 years younger than him the entire series. He's also a extremely well-respected veteran throughout the league and one of those great leaders in the locker room.

I knew Richards was a bust when they got him. Everything about him these days involves that word.

Groan.................
 
I think the biggest part was running into a hot team and goalie plus the Pens are a tough match up for any team. They are deep. In the series none of the big stars really kicked butt, they all sort of cancelled each other out while the Pens third line out played the Caps third line. That really was the difference. All the Caps goals seem to come on the PP. Oshie majorly benefitted from Ovy, Kuznetsov and Backstrom getting all the Pens main attention. Kessel and his line were big but if the Caps put one of their top 2 lines against them they would have low numbers and the 1-2 line left would have strong numbers. Pens were deeper and that was the difference. The Caps had lots of chances on the PP, missed the net a lot I guess Murray was in their heads making them squeeze the stick a little tighter and trying for that perfect shot. All close games a few different bounces could have had a different result.

I'm not sure the answer for the caps. For a first place team I thought they made way to many changes and adjustments. IMO it showed a lack of confidence in the team. As a coach I understand adjustments but they did too much. Most of these guys had some doubt due to past experience, changing everything so much made them look like the underdog who is struggling and getting out played. Not the time to try so many different line combos etc...
 
Moose#11 said:
actually,quite the opposite.my second favorite player ever is Sergei Nemchinov,a Russian who never took a shift off in his entire career,was a great influence to other Nationals in the locker room and a humble generous man who i had the great opportunity to meet in person.the point i'm trying to make is more often than not,it's Eastern Euro's who seem to fold during hard physical play.just my observation over my life of watching Hockey.
oh,and i realize Burakovsky is from Austria,i do assume that he is of Russian descent due to the 'sky' spelling at the end of his name.:)
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Both these statements show you don't know much about Russians and their names.

-sky (as well as -ski) is more commonly associated with Polish surnames. And you're letting a few players dictate that call.

Seriously, your xenophobia is showing. You and Don Cherry would get along famously.
 
I know it's easy to play Monday Morning Quarterback with everything you saw in the series, but the Caps came a lot closer to winning this series than anyone cares to note. They outplayed the Penguins in most games, and had they been the ones who struck in overtime, there's no reason they couldn't have taken game 7.

The Penguins third line illustrates the danger of their depth, but that was the only line that really lit it up much in the series. Caps did an amazing job of shutting down Crosby and Malkin, especially given how rarely Crosby was shut out for longer than a game during the Pens' run under Sullivan.

The Caps really are *this* close, and should they make any significant offseason improvements (like the huge one in Oshie), they will continue to give any team a run for their money in the playoffs.

And as a Penguins fan, I am loathe to admit all this - but it's the truth. The Caps were one goal away from winning this series.
 
Funny I thought it was Crosby and Malkins line that shut down the Caps 2 big lines. Caps made adjustments changing lines etc to try and make it work. Most points the caps big guns got was on the PP.


pathshot said:
I know it's easy to play Monday Morning Quarterback with everything you saw in the series, but the Caps came a lot closer to winning this series than anyone cares to note. They outplayed the Penguins in most games, and had they been the ones who struck in overtime, there's no reason they couldn't have taken game 7.

The Penguins third line illustrates the danger of their depth, but that was the only line that really lit it up much in the series. Caps did an amazing job of shutting down Crosby and Malkin, especially given how rarely Crosby was shut out for longer than a game during the Pens' run under Sullivan.

The Caps really are *this* close, and should they make any significant offseason improvements (like the huge one in Oshie), they will continue to give any team a run for their money in the playoffs.

And as a Penguins fan, I am loathe to admit all this - but it's the truth. The Caps were one goal away from winning this series.
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newfiecomicguy1 said:
Funny I thought it was Crosby and Malkins line that shut down the Caps 2 big lines. Caps made adjustments changing lines etc to try and make it work. Most points the caps big guns got was on the PP.
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I don't understand how you can make this mutually exclusive. You can play defense and offense during the same game. Even the same shift. :)
 
I for one am shocked the Caps bowed out in the second round, especially given Barry Trotz's long storied pedigree of playoff success.

;)
 

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