Quoting: capsfan2121
My games notes are going to be short.
Mantha needs to be on the first pp1.
We need to get rid of dump in chase or we get better forecheckers. Like it isn’t working. Mojo can weave through guys to set it up. Great entering the zone and that’s what led to the Oshie goal I believe. We need more movement. It’s the same thing. Protas isn’t ready to be on the nhl. Neither is Mcm. Snively played decent. Youth doesn’t fit into our system, we need to stop playing east to west and start playing north to south. We need a replacement for Wilson. We need a replacement for brown. Kuemper played awesome in the 3rd period. I’m sick of this. It’s been the same sh** for three years now. We need a system that’s fits modern day nhl. We are the slowest team in the league, we have skill tho. I know it’s only five games but having only 20-27 shots a game won’t win you games. We are going to fail hard this year especially in this division.
Good notes. Pretty similar to mine. Last night was a tough one...
1st period:
Caps dominated. Shot the puck, had great possession, and certainly had their legs. Right from the start, it was pretty clear that the Caps had their legs and came out ready to play. Joe B commented on it as well. It was a great start. Enough said.
2nd period:
I mean, it was a totally different team. Back to back penalties from Oshie within minutes of each other (that resulted in two goals) hurt big time. The only other observation for 2nd period was Sens started to control puck and hit...and hit everything.
3rd period:
I mean, same story, but much worse. We looked absolutely horrible. No way to sugar coat it - just horrible. Defensive miscues, missed assignments, no physicality, no offensive possession, no forechecks. Felt like we were at 20 shots from the start of the period to the end. Only positive, Kuemper played out of his mind. I was really impressed with him.
High-level notes:
1) Caps are missing Wilson/Brown, and I mean BIG TIME. No way Sens would have been that physical if the Caps had a guy like 43 who could stand up. It was the first time in a very, very long time that I felt the Caps were soft. You could tell that the Sens hitting took a big toll out of the Caps. Even Ovi was getting pushed around, and no one was stepping up to hit them back (not even Hathaway). So if we aren't physical, we certainly aren't fast/young, we aren't stout defensively...what is our identity?
2) Protas was nowhere to be found. McM had his worst game as a Cap, and the whole "play him because he is young" narrative needs to stop - he is not there right now. Kid doesn't finish, doesn't play defense, is not physical (despite that fight good job there) - can't just give him a spot because he was a first round draft pick lol. Snively had a few opportunities, but I can't judge as I need to see another game outta him. Anyways, our rookies need to earn a spot, not just be gifted a spot because they are "young".
3) 4th line was terrible. Like really, really bad.
4) Carlson and Orlov together looked worse than Carlson and Fehervary (surprisingly).
5) The first line had 0 chemistry. Eller is obviously not a first line center lol...
6) Wow is our PK bad - so aggressive and out of place. They are running around like chickens with their heads cut off
Is it time to worry? No I don't think so. Not yet. We are 5 games in, battling a hurt amount of injuries. I will say, Saturday vs the Kings feels almost like a "must win" to get back on track.
Positives: Mantha, MoJo, Kuemper, PP
Lets get em Saturday.