Squeaking Out a Win
This team can be immensely frustrating sometimes.
All the talent in the world and yet continuously undermined by their own lack of mental toughness. They build up a lead, as fluky as it was, and then proceed to play sloppy defense and take bad penalties as if trying to lose the game. Foiled again, Caps…foiled again.
And then they go through a complete lack of secondary scoring through eight games, only to have an absolute explosion of goals from the third and fourth lines (and Jeff Schultz) while #8 can’t buy a goal.
Ah, just another night as a Caps fan. Weird bounces, bad goals, Jeff Schultz as the #1 star…is it a full moon or something?
Some other stuff:
- Jose Theodore is still your #1 goalie, ladies and gentlemen. Although Irbe may need to switch his focus from improving glove hands to getting both his goalies to close the damn five hole.
- The Ovechkin-Backstrom-Knuble line was downright invisible at times tonight. Whether it was just an off night for the newly formed top line or an excellent job of shutting them down by Atlanta, it’s hard to say – probably a bit of both.
- On the same token, here are the boys in white picking up points tonight: Fehr, Schultz, Giroux, Aucoin, Varlamov, Bradley, Steckel, Clark and Green. Wow.
- Was that Jurcina’s first bad game of the season?
- The bounce that led to Schultz’s goal, his first in 40 games, was really unfortunate for Pavelec. This wasn’t a Lundqvist bluffing an easy ground ball like Backstrom’s goal a few weeks ago; that thing hit a bump and took off. Too bad for Pavelec (and my fantasy hockey team), it would cause him to very quickly unravel.
- How about Chris Clark getting on the scoresheet with a goal so ugly it was beautiful – crashing the net, sharp angle shot, exactly the type of goal he needed to get going. Hopefully.
- Meanwhile, Fehr’s first of the season was anything but ugly, as was the outlet pass from Jeff Schultz – Jeff frickin’ Schultz – to spring him on the breakaway.
- Kovalchuk now has 9 goals, tying Ovechkin for the league lead…having played in two fewer games.
- Hard to tell what was more unacceptable – taking 8 penalties and yielding two power play goals or getting 7 power plays of their own and not only not scoring but giving up a shorthanded goal. To a defenseman. Who can’t legally drink after the game.
When the Caps started getting the bounces and fluky goals in the second, it felt like tonight could be one of those great team-uniting blowout games. Instead it ends up feeling slightly hollow, two points earned but not really deserved – especially after that horrendous third period.
The good news is, it’s early in the season and these mental blocks can still be fixed. The bad news is it feels like we’re saying that after every game now – and early season becomes late in the season before you know it.
“Meanwhile, Fehr’s first of the season was anything but ugly, as was the outlet pass from Jeff Schultz – Jeff frickin’ Schultz – to spring him on the breakaway.”
I love it. Good post CC. Yeah, I know the ice was crappy, and the Caps were getting messy at the very end… but how much did I enjoy watching Schultz play? Here’s hoping the Islander’s game on Saturday is awesome. Go Caps!!
Comment by TruthBeTold — October 23, 2009 @ 8:37 am
I was never happy with the Irube hire, and nothing in Varly’s performance since the start of the season has made me change my mind. Irube was never a technical wunderkind, and his coaching experience is very thin. Varly needs to improve aspects of his game to cut down on sofies (glove hand, rebound control), but I’m not sure that Irube is able to do that.
I really, really wish Dave Prior had waited one more season before retiring.
Comment by exwhaler — October 23, 2009 @ 11:35 am
I don’t think that Caps have much to worry about. They’ve still got the lead in their division and have won 3 straight. I think this team has what it takes to go deep in the playoffs.
Comment by Eric L. — October 23, 2009 @ 12:30 pm
TruthBeTold: Ha! Thanks…and yes, the ice was pretty horrible. Pavelec would probably agree with you on that one. As for Schultzie, he’s been great – he and Jurcina and Morrisonn have all stepped up and been consistently good, with just a couple of mistakes each so far. Bodes well, right?
Oh, and I think that’s the first time anyone’s used “Islanders game” and “awesome” in the same sentence in about 20 years.
exwhaler: I honestly can’t remember much about Irbe as a goalie aside from his godawful equipment – but I’m willing to give him a bit more time, mostly because I think the holes in Varly’s game are caused by him being 21 and not in his prime as a goalie yet. I think people are expecting Brodeur-like abilities right away while forgetting that it’s an incredibly technically difficult position and goalies develop at different rates.
Eric: I think they’ll be fine, too; it really is still early and bad habits can be knocked out of them one way or the other. I think we’re all just hoping the bad habits don’t become permanent, you know? But yes, overall this team has great potential!
Comment by CapsChick — October 23, 2009 @ 4:46 pm
…and so the love affair with Chris Clark continues. The captain actually scored a goal putting him on a projected pace of scoring 8 goals this season (while getting 8 assists). Never mind the fact that he has a firm hold on the team low of being -4 for the season. Never mind that he can’t control the puck when receiving a pass to be sprung a breakaway. Never mind that he whiffs the shot every time he has an open net in front of him. No, this guy is the exact sort of player you want the rest of your high powered offense and fast-paced defense to look up to.
Doesn’t matter, he is about due for his season ending injury anyway.
Comment by Mr. X — October 25, 2009 @ 10:18 am
It was wonderful to see Jeff Schultz get something on the score sheet! It has gotten very old listening to so many people slam the guy. For the years he’s been here nary a fan has even given the slightest consideration to his age and frame. No one is willing to let him grow into it and see what happens. I can’t wait to see where he is at in a couple more years!
Comment by 416 — October 25, 2009 @ 8:58 pm