2015-2016 NHL Discussion

[JPL 151]

Can the Blues just fuck off?

[CoachReilly 688]

honestly just a travesty of a series from the hawks.

 

anyhow, the blues get away with a contact off the puck.  flying into people a full second or two after the puck is gone. Ott grabs defenders going around the net.  Reaves is a piece of shit who should get 2-3 charges per game.  

 

hawks haven't deserved the series though, getting outplayed 

[CoachReilly 688]

but yeah - shit from the other night - flyers fans... very unsurprising to say the least.

[JPL 151]

St. Louis is team full of goons and it just pisses me off even more that we are losing. (might be my biased talking)  

[Kendrick 4,741]

Once a fucktard, always a fucktard. <-- looking at you Alex Steen.

[Fire Tortorella 2,653]

Flyers hanging on for dear life.

[Fire Tortorella 2,653]

This is shades of Canada-Belarus

[Fire Tortorella 2,653]

How

[Devise 4,475]

I can't do anything but laugh. Heck of a performance by Neuvi. As usual former Caps players always play good against us.

[eaglesfan036 4,598]

What is hockey

[Fire Tortorella 2,653]

Good series with Washington @eaglesfan036 @Mr. Power

 

Will say though, with how the Capitals played in this series against a pretty lowly Flyers team, they're going to get demolished by Pittsburgh.

[eaglesfan036 4,598]

6 minutes ago, flyersfan1493 said:

Good series with Washington @eaglesfan036 @Mr. Power

 

Will say though, with how the Capitals played in this series against a pretty lowly Flyers team, they're going to get demolished by Pittsburgh.

I agree, not just because of the Caps but because of how unstoppable the Penguins have looked.

 

Even though the Flyers lost I am happy with the way they played. While they clearly had less talent, they battled really hard with physicality and blocking shots

[Devise 4,475]

5 minutes ago, flyersfan1493 said:

Good series with Washington @eaglesfan036 @Mr. Power

 

Will say though, with how the Capitals played in this series against a pretty lowly Flyers team, they're going to get demolished by Pittsburgh.

 

Eh, I don't know if I'd go that far. I mean "how the Caps played" we dominated in Game 5 and the goalie was the only reason it wasn't over. I also think people forget that we aren't just Holtby back there. We are very good defensively, Niskanen and Alzner have shut down Crosby/Malkin before (even during a game this season). It'll be an interesting series, I won't say I'm not nervous about it because it's the Caps in the playoffs. But to go as far to say we'll get demolished? Don't let Pitts goal running up against a very weak especially defensively New York Rangers team say more than it actually has merit. Rangers were also missing McDonaugh for a while too. 

 

Plus now that we got past Neuvi I really don't see a Pitt goalie doing what Neuvi did to us. Still was a good series with Philly though, and you guys played the underdog but the one thing that Caps showed in this series is just outstanding PK and defensive work imo. Something that will carry over and has been an underrated part of our game. Yeah yeah only 1 playoff goal this game, and yeah we can't score in playoffs blah blah. But with Holtby and our defense, we don't need to score that much to win games either haha. 

[FacePuncher 1,343]

Pittsburgh's play revolves around Murray. If he continues to play like a superhuman, were in good shape. I'm hoping what happened with Lundy was no fluke, either

[Dangles13 373]

10 minutes ago, ADwyer87 said:

Pittsburgh's play revolves around Murray. If he continues to play like a superhuman, were in good shape. I'm hoping what happened with Lundy was no fluke, either

 

I thought Fleury was close to being back now.

[FacePuncher 1,343]

Just now, Dangles13 said:

 

I thought Fleury was close to being back now.

I hope so. Either way, the way Murray has been playing in the NHL so far.....if he keeps it up he could be the key

[Dangles13 373]

5 minutes ago, ADwyer87 said:

I hope so. Either way, the way Murray has been playing in the NHL so far.....if he keeps it up he could be the key

He's good that is for sure but it would be nice to know you can turn back to Fleury if needed.

[FacePuncher 1,343]

Just now, Dangles13 said:

He's good that is for sure but it would be nice to know you can turn back to Fleury if needed.

Exactly, that's why Murray is the key rn. He's played out of his mind lately, and gotten even better in the playoffs. But you can't really draw conclusions after 16 pro games

[Fire Tortorella 2,653]

7 hours ago, Mr. Power said:

 

Eh, I don't know if I'd go that far. I mean "how the Caps played" we dominated in Game 5 and the goalie was the only reason it wasn't over. I also think people forget that we aren't just Holtby back there. We are very good defensively, Niskanen and Alzner have shut down Crosby/Malkin before (even during a game this season). It'll be an interesting series, I won't say I'm not nervous about it because it's the Caps in the playoffs. But to go as far to say we'll get demolished? Don't let Pitts goal running up against a very weak especially defensively New York Rangers team say more than it actually has merit. Rangers were also missing McDonaugh for a while too. 

 

Plus now that we got past Neuvi I really don't see a Pitt goalie doing what Neuvi did to us. Still was a good series with Philly though, and you guys played the underdog but the one thing that Caps showed in this series is just outstanding PK and defensive work imo. Something that will carry over and has been an underrated part of our game. Yeah yeah only 1 playoff goal this game, and yeah we can't score in playoffs blah blah. But with Holtby and our defense, we don't need to score that much to win games either haha. 

 

Washington should have driven play 5v5 against this Flyers team and they failed to do so. You say Pitt ran up the score against a weak Rangers team, but this Flyers team was without Couturier for almost the entire series and a defense without their #1 defenseman in Del Zotto. I mean, look at this roster:

 

Schenn-Giroux-Simmonds

Gagner-Raffl-Voracek

McDonald/Laughton-Cousins-Read

VdV-PEB-White

 

Ghostisbehere-MacDonald

Gudas-Manning

Streit-Schultz

 

That's 4.5 top 6 players and a bottom six that has anywhere from 4-6 players that shouldn't see time above the 4th line, a rookie on D paired with someone who didn't even start the season in the NHL, Gudas and an AHL defenseman pressed into service since MDZ went down, and two veterans playing on fumes. Neuvirth had some good games, but I really don't think the Caps got "Halak'd" as much as the media is making it out. 

[TheLastOlympian07 2,388]

21 hours ago, flyersfan1493 said:

 

Washington should have driven play 5v5 against this Flyers team and they failed to do so. You say Pitt ran up the score against a weak Rangers team, but this Flyers team was without Couturier for almost the entire series and a defense without their #1 defenseman in Del Zotto. I mean, look at this roster:

 

Schenn-Giroux-Simmonds

Gagner-Raffl-Voracek

McDonald/Laughton-Cousins-Read

VdV-PEB-White

 

Ghostisbehere-MacDonald

Gudas-Manning

Streit-Schultz

 

That's 4.5 top 6 players and a bottom six that has anywhere from 4-6 players that shouldn't see time above the 4th line, a rookie on D paired with someone who didn't even start the season in the NHL, Gudas and an AHL defenseman pressed into service since MDZ went down, and two veterans playing on fumes. Neuvirth had some good games, but I really don't think the Caps got "Halak'd" as much as the media is making it out. 

Neuvirth saved 94 of 96 shots yea ok, im sure they didnt get halak'd. 

[Devise 4,475]

On 4/25/2016 at 8:15 PM, flyersfan1493 said:

 

Washington should have driven play 5v5 against this Flyers team and they failed to do so. You say Pitt ran up the score against a weak Rangers team, but this Flyers team was without Couturier for almost the entire series and a defense without their #1 defenseman in Del Zotto. I mean, look at this roster:

 

Schenn-Giroux-Simmonds

Gagner-Raffl-Voracek

McDonald/Laughton-Cousins-Read

VdV-PEB-White

 

Ghostisbehere-MacDonald

Gudas-Manning

Streit-Schultz

 

That's 4.5 top 6 players and a bottom six that has anywhere from 4-6 players that shouldn't see time above the 4th line, a rookie on D paired with someone who didn't even start the season in the NHL, Gudas and an AHL defenseman pressed into service since MDZ went down, and two veterans playing on fumes. Neuvirth had some good games, but I really don't think the Caps got "Halak'd" as much as the media is making it out. 

 

 

Your right, the Caps didn't get "Halak'd." Neuvi played good the last 3 games though. But to say the Caps didn't push the play 5v5? The Caps didn't push the play 5v5 in the first period of most games. In the second and third periods just like they did all season they pretty much dominated. Are we forgetting the first three games of the series? Yeah Mason let in a few weak goals, but the Caps also were playing pretty strong offensively and defensively. Game 1 in particular. In Game six, while Holtby had a 25 save shutout, in my opinion only 4 of those shots were actually good saves. We gave you guys nothing. Which fine sure, you guys are depleted. But last I checked Claude Giroux is a outstanding hockey player, who plays on Canadian Olympic level teams. Holding him to 1 assist is a very strong defensive series. If you look at the stats across the board, the Caps dominated every statistic in this series. So I wouldn't say they really looked "that" bad. People just make so much out of Caps playoff struggles (myself included) because the Caps do have a tendency to choke up in the playoffs. But we haven't played like we were choking all series. 

 

In the topic of the Penguins. I'm fine if people keep overrating them because of how well their offense looked. People seem to forget it's the playoffs. When the Caps ran up the score in one of the games against the Flyers, I never made more of it than it was. It wasn't some thing that I knew was going to happen every game. And it didn't. The coaching staff of the Flyers made some great adjustments, but the key one in Game 5 and 6 was that they stopped pushing the offense so much and played "protect the goalie" defense. Turns out it's awfully hard to score already in the playoffs, much less when you have a goalie playing a good game and 5 man in front of him doing nothing but blocking shots and trying to clog lanes. 

 

Which is why I think people overrate the Pens. They'll say "look how many points Crosby and Malkin and etc have!" Big whoop. Remember at the midway point of this season when Crosby was cold as hell and wasn't even an All Star? Players like Crosby and Malkin are talented as hell, but they are the picture perfect definition of STREAKY. Same with Kessel. They always have been. I'm not coming into this series arrogantly, of course not. But I'm not going to sit here and think that the Pens will demolish us just because they got a few "big names." Last I checked we have big names too, and better goaltending, and better defense, and better special teams, and better....forward depth, and we are bigger, and we are more equipped to play playoff hockey and we have a better coaching staff.....

 

If Caps make this series the physical playoff style they made some of the Games in the Flyer series, especially Game six, or even similar to a game they thoroughly outplayed the Pens earlier this season, we have a chance to win the series. The outright dismissal that we'll get demolished is humorous though. The Pens aren't the Hawks, let's get real here. The series could very easily go either way. 

 

 

Edited April 26, 2016 by Mr. Power

[gregreg 930]

What we should be looking at is the most important lottery in Canadian history that happens on Saturday 

[FacePuncher 1,343]

Forward depth is the big reason we've done so well. It's not about Crosby and Malkin and Kessel doing great(though obviously that helps), it's also Bonino with 5 points in 5 games, and the young guys like Rust and Kuhnhackl and Sheary each having 3. Our PP has been red hot so far. Murray has been a absolutely inhuman in net. And it's not just about running up the score, it's about running up the score on one of the best goaltenders in the league and making him seem flustered and a little out of it. Also our coaching staff has been a huge reason we're in this position.

 

its going to be a tough series, and could go either way obviously, but I think your overlooking a lot

[JPL 151]

This saddens my whole night but it was a good series.

[Kendrick 4,741]

Yeah one of the things I noticed about Pittsburgh is that when I check the boxscores its some guy I've never heard of scoring, that's depth.