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***Official Lord Stanley's Cup Playoff Thread: Getzlaf 15 charges four game 6 tickets, a limo, and five steak sandwiches to Cav's room. FBG CORNHOLE A (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter Doctor Detroit
- Start date
kupcho1
Footballguy
Yankee23Fan
Fair Tax!
Congrats to Ducks fans. Don't know if it will matter now that my Predators are going to win the cup but at least you made it this far.
Tom Servo
Nittany Beavers
MattFancy
Footballguy
Mad? No. I'm used to this. DC Sports has prepared me for the disappointments in life
Sheriff66
Footballguy
People actually thought those chokers were going to win a Cup???? LMMFAO When will this place ever learn, Crapitals are a joke organization and ALWAYS WILL BE!! Jokevechkin just looks old and tired, a complete non factor 3rd line bum . Whole team is a bunch of Choking Dog wannabes that will never win ANYTHING...WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!
Let's be honest. Both of us know what I have to do here.
You've come to this page to see me write that the Capitals are — well, you know what they are.
And I have to write it, because I write it every year.
Because they do it every year.
Same old story: What's red, white and blue, and plays golf in April?
Excuse me, what's bronze, white and blue, and plays golf in April?
The Washington Capitals.
Choking Dogs.
I wrote it in small type, because this wasn't even one of their big chokes. As a historian of their gags, I don't put this in their top five. It doesn't rank with the 1987 foldo against the Islanders, when they lost the last three games — and Game 7 in four overtimes at home! Nor does it rank with the choke jobs against Pittsburgh in 1992 and '95, when they held 3-1 leads. I don't think it was as big a choke as the one in 1985, when a Caps team that had 101 points in the regular season blew a 2-0 lead, and lost three straight to the Islanders under the old, best-of-five format. I'll argue this wasn't as big a choke as in 1988, when the Caps lost three straight home games to the Devils.
But this was more than a hiccup.
I know all about the injuries. I know all about how Pittsburgh was a better team.
But the Capitals don't get off the hook simply because they lost to a better team — not when they put themselves in position to win. Individually, any one game may not have been choked, but collectively . . . .
The Caps were ahead 2-love in games and coming home! They had three of the next four at home, and they lost them all. In the critical Game 4, the game the Capitals absolutely, positively had to win to stay in the series, because they couldn't possibly depend on a team as good as Pittsburgh to lose three straight at home — the critical Game 4, the game the Capitals HAD to win to dispel the doubts, including their own — in that critical Game 4, the Caps held a two-goal lead, and lost slowly, agonizingly, in four overtimes.
Only a homer would say that's not choking.
You'd say it about Montreal, up 2-love, coming home.
It's the same with the Capitals. They had momentum, but they couldn't close. They couldn't push the puck past a second-string goalie. It's not what they gave up, it's what they didn't get.
Where the heck are the goal scorers?
(On other teams is where, right, David?)
Pittsburgh is allergic to defense. The Capitals outshot the Penguins 249-206. Shots, they got. If they had any real scorers besides Bondra, they would have won the thing.
Why can't the general manager bring in some scorers?
The Caps are gritty out of necessity. It's a virtue to work hard, but the Capitals have to out-work the other teams because management hasn't assembled enough gifted players to out-skate other teams.
You know, calling the Caps "Choking Dogs" used to be funny. But it isn't any more. Because it has been happening for 12 years. In nine of their past 12 playoffs the Capitals have either frittered away a substantial playoff lead or lost to a team they finished above in the regular season.
And it's not because of the Capitals' goalies.
It's because the Caps make everybody else's goalie look like Jacques Plante.
The coach of this team, Jim Schoenfeld, did a terrific job. He was outmanned and outgunned by Pittsburgh from here to the Pennsylvania border, yet he prepared his team so well they were able to win the first two games and stay competitive in two others. Considering all the injuries, Schoenfeld was like an Indy 500 mechanic who has to patch tires with bubble gum and spit. He's a keeper.
The Capitals' problem isn't the players they have — they tried their best — it's the players they don't have. The Messiers, the Lindroses, the Lemieuxs. The ones that can win Cups.
The GM brings in good players, but never great ones. The Caps have been treading water for years now; it appears it's getting harder and harder to bob above the surface.
The fans know this. They see the owner's money going to Chris Webber and Juwan Howard, and they question whether there's any left for comparable hockey talent. It doesn't look that way. It doesn't look as if the owner has made the same commitment to the Capitals as he has to the Bullets. (If he has, then what's the GM doing? Every year around the trading deadline, goal scorers start falling out of trees. How can the Caps be the only team that doesn't catch one?)
What it looks like is that the owner's happy to simply make the playoffs — first round and out is okay. That's why almost nobody in town believes in the Caps. That's why almost nobody in town thought the Capitals would actually win the series against Pittsburgh, even when they were ahead 2-0. Capitals fans have been conditioned by past failures to expect the worst, to expect: choking dogs.
The truth is that the blame lies with management more than with the players. The Capitals' organization has failed to improve this team. They fiddle while Rome burns.
Yesterday I was talking to a former Caps player, who told me of the torture of Game 4. He spoke of the crushing bad luck that always befalls the Capitals, from Pat LaFontaine to Petr Nedved. He spoke of Joe Juneau getting the first playoff overtime penalty shot in the whole history of the NHL, how Juneau had the series on his stick, and how, incomprehensibly, the puck began bouncing around like a Spaldeen and Juneau couldn't get off a shot. Bad luck. The former Cap looked at me with dark eyes, and asked plaintively, "Why can't they ever get some good luck?"
Good teams make their own good luck.
Let's be honest. Both of us know what I have to do here.
You've come to this page to see me write that the Capitals are — well, you know what they are.
And I have to write it, because I write it every year.
Because they do it every year.
Same old story: What's red, white and blue, and plays golf in April?
Excuse me, what's bronze, white and blue, and plays golf in April?
The Washington Capitals.
Choking Dogs.
I wrote it in small type, because this wasn't even one of their big chokes. As a historian of their gags, I don't put this in their top five. It doesn't rank with the 1987 foldo against the Islanders, when they lost the last three games — and Game 7 in four overtimes at home! Nor does it rank with the choke jobs against Pittsburgh in 1992 and '95, when they held 3-1 leads. I don't think it was as big a choke as the one in 1985, when a Caps team that had 101 points in the regular season blew a 2-0 lead, and lost three straight to the Islanders under the old, best-of-five format. I'll argue this wasn't as big a choke as in 1988, when the Caps lost three straight home games to the Devils.
But this was more than a hiccup.
I know all about the injuries. I know all about how Pittsburgh was a better team.
But the Capitals don't get off the hook simply because they lost to a better team — not when they put themselves in position to win. Individually, any one game may not have been choked, but collectively . . . .
The Caps were ahead 2-love in games and coming home! They had three of the next four at home, and they lost them all. In the critical Game 4, the game the Capitals absolutely, positively had to win to stay in the series, because they couldn't possibly depend on a team as good as Pittsburgh to lose three straight at home — the critical Game 4, the game the Capitals HAD to win to dispel the doubts, including their own — in that critical Game 4, the Caps held a two-goal lead, and lost slowly, agonizingly, in four overtimes.
Only a homer would say that's not choking.
You'd say it about Montreal, up 2-love, coming home.
It's the same with the Capitals. They had momentum, but they couldn't close. They couldn't push the puck past a second-string goalie. It's not what they gave up, it's what they didn't get.
Where the heck are the goal scorers?
(On other teams is where, right, David?)
Pittsburgh is allergic to defense. The Capitals outshot the Penguins 249-206. Shots, they got. If they had any real scorers besides Bondra, they would have won the thing.
Why can't the general manager bring in some scorers?
The Caps are gritty out of necessity. It's a virtue to work hard, but the Capitals have to out-work the other teams because management hasn't assembled enough gifted players to out-skate other teams.
You know, calling the Caps "Choking Dogs" used to be funny. But it isn't any more. Because it has been happening for 12 years. In nine of their past 12 playoffs the Capitals have either frittered away a substantial playoff lead or lost to a team they finished above in the regular season.
And it's not because of the Capitals' goalies.
It's because the Caps make everybody else's goalie look like Jacques Plante.
The coach of this team, Jim Schoenfeld, did a terrific job. He was outmanned and outgunned by Pittsburgh from here to the Pennsylvania border, yet he prepared his team so well they were able to win the first two games and stay competitive in two others. Considering all the injuries, Schoenfeld was like an Indy 500 mechanic who has to patch tires with bubble gum and spit. He's a keeper.
The Capitals' problem isn't the players they have — they tried their best — it's the players they don't have. The Messiers, the Lindroses, the Lemieuxs. The ones that can win Cups.
The GM brings in good players, but never great ones. The Caps have been treading water for years now; it appears it's getting harder and harder to bob above the surface.
The fans know this. They see the owner's money going to Chris Webber and Juwan Howard, and they question whether there's any left for comparable hockey talent. It doesn't look that way. It doesn't look as if the owner has made the same commitment to the Capitals as he has to the Bullets. (If he has, then what's the GM doing? Every year around the trading deadline, goal scorers start falling out of trees. How can the Caps be the only team that doesn't catch one?)
What it looks like is that the owner's happy to simply make the playoffs — first round and out is okay. That's why almost nobody in town believes in the Caps. That's why almost nobody in town thought the Capitals would actually win the series against Pittsburgh, even when they were ahead 2-0. Capitals fans have been conditioned by past failures to expect the worst, to expect: choking dogs.
The truth is that the blame lies with management more than with the players. The Capitals' organization has failed to improve this team. They fiddle while Rome burns.
Yesterday I was talking to a former Caps player, who told me of the torture of Game 4. He spoke of the crushing bad luck that always befalls the Capitals, from Pat LaFontaine to Petr Nedved. He spoke of Joe Juneau getting the first playoff overtime penalty shot in the whole history of the NHL, how Juneau had the series on his stick, and how, incomprehensibly, the puck began bouncing around like a Spaldeen and Juneau couldn't get off a shot. Bad luck. The former Cap looked at me with dark eyes, and asked plaintively, "Why can't they ever get some good luck?"
Good teams make their own good luck.
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Clorox
Footballguy
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Tom Servo
Nittany Beavers
Sheriff66
Footballguy
Whole town was worried and I was over here like....WAIT FOR IT, WAIT FOR IT!!!Best. Post. Ever.
Sheriff66
Footballguy
Same old story, Chokevechin will never win anything!At least Ovi won't be late for his date at the world championships.
Tom Servo
Nittany Beavers
MarvinTScamper
Footballguy
1 out of 2 ain't bad. I have to mention as well that whatever Blues fans thought Yeo was "the man" now realize that he's a 1 series guy.Getzlaf15 said:
Sheriff66
Footballguy
I wasn't actually, all the pressure in the world was on them, home crowd made it worse, I loved our chances, Chokevechkin is a shell of his former self.
Sheriff66
Footballguy
fantasycurse42
Footballguy Jr.
It's the Preds year, they look good.
Preds/Pens - Preds in 6.
Preds/Pens - Preds in 6.
MarvinTScamper
Footballguy
Pens/Anaheim. Pens in 7.
Why? Because Anaheim has been ###-raping me and my expectation forever. They never look great, and when the time comes, they somehow seem to be unstoppable. But, the front end of Pens top 2 lines is crazy. How did they get all that firepower?
Why? Because Anaheim has been ###-raping me and my expectation forever. They never look great, and when the time comes, they somehow seem to be unstoppable. But, the front end of Pens top 2 lines is crazy. How did they get all that firepower?
rockaction
Footballguy
Ryan and Pageau haven't exactly been slouches. Love watching Ryan's, um, speed for a bigger guy.
Northern Voice
Footballguy
Bill Brasky
Footballguy
oh so we're back to the Caps need to trade Ovechkin (or should have already)JaxBill said:
Bill Brasky
Footballguy
it just doesn't feel like summer until this gets postedSheriff66 said:
Bill Brasky
Footballguy
Matt MurrayNorthern Voice said:
Bill Brasky
Footballguy
Brunell4MVP
Footballguy
He is getting ripped because he was responsible for Pens Goal 1. Puck went right by him. Didn't even try. Was too worried about getting a hit on someone that barely brushed him. Led to Pens having the advantage. Then he was partly responsible for Goal 2.Bill Brasky said:
But I don't really blame Ovi.
I blame the coaching. Trots was outcoached. AGAIN. His playoff record is 39-50 with very talented teams. To me, the guy has the players that can dominate the regular season just like he did in NSH. But he can't make the adjustments that come in a playoff series where the other team has time to prepare. Look, if the coaches were reversed, WSH would have won this series in 5 games. He was also immensely outcoached against TOR, even moreso than against PIT.
And to a lesser extent I blame the Shattenkirk pickup. It messed up the lineup. Shat is a good player. He just didn't fit. They needed a defender that could defend. Not a reincarnation of Mike Green.
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Sheriff66
Footballguy
Bill Brasky
Footballguy
lol, and what exactly were those? is this where we start talking about intangibles?
Brunell4MVP
Footballguy
How deep do you want me to go? it's not intangibles. It's Xs and Os.
Actually, just read this link for the Xs and Os and how they are similar for Pens and Caps. http://thesportsdaily.com/the-pensblog/pens-vs-caps-xs-os-breakdown-what-to-watch-for/
The Caps put their goalie under more pressure because of how they stretch the ice. They give up more odd man rushes. And WSH relies heavily on power play goals when they play quality opponents. Those power plays don't work so well in the postseason when you get less and the other team is racheting up the power play defense. As stated in this article, essentially the team that protected the puck better was going to win this series. And you can go game by game to see that was the case, and to see that PIT changed their D structure to force all the WAS shots form the outside when they were at even strength. Trots should know 5 o 5 was where this game would be won or lost, and he needed to be more defensive minded rather than stretchng the D up ice (especially with how bad Shat and Orpik are at getting back) and giving up too many odd man rushes. Essentially his strategy was the same as all year, but against a team like PIT (and TOR) that is asking Holtby to do too much.
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Bill Brasky
Footballguy
go ahead. explain how a team that had a CF% over 60% and xGF% at 59% over 7 games against one of the other best teams in the league could have "made adjustments". this is clearly on Trotz.
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rockaction
Footballguy
Not sure the coach was the story. I think Fleury was the main story, along with the sinking notion I get that I'd never want Ovie and Backstrom on my team as big-time guys in Game Seven. They looked kinda lost, scared, and timid. That's not intangibles, it's just the way they played. I don't know about clearing the puck with one hand for the second goal and Backstrom was just a nonentity. That's my take. Though Ovechkin got absolutely robbed and unlucky when it was 1-0.
But really? Fleury. Fleury. Fleury. All series.
Bill Brasky
Footballguy
man, the FBG servers can barely handle all the traffic Sherriff is driving this morning
Limp Ditka
Footballguy
Tom Servo
Nittany Beavers
Thorn
Footballguy
maybe Sullivan's plan was wanting it more
Sheriff66
Footballguy
