There will be many excuses, I imagine — the dreaded first game back from a road trip, the team is exhausted, the team is playing hurt etc. etc., but what it boils down to is an awful effort from the Caps, whatever the excuse. This lackadaisical effort wasted excellent goaltending from Olaf Kolzig, and the Caps enter the All-Star break being outshot 42 – 18. While quality of shot-count can be debated (mostly academically), the quality of the shots today can’t — far too many came from in close, requiring Kolzig to be at the top of his game.
- The Caps’ best defenseman for the game, Steve Eminger, also committed the worst offense, with a turnover at in the defensive zone that Florida converted.
- Mike Green may be hobbled, but if that was the reason for his play today, he should have sat. Maybe his worst game as a Cap, particularly in front of Kolzig. Jamie Heward, Lawrence Nycholat and Jeff Schultz all were sub-par, as well. Shaone Morrisonn had an average game, but that nearly qualified as the best for the blueliners.
- It may be a bit ironic, considering he scored the Caps’ only goal (though Belfour is actually the guy who scored it), but the Caps need to try the 1st line power play without Zubrus. He works best with the puck on his stick, but is having trouble doing that in the PP offensive zone. The Caps don’t have a lot of options there, but they might want to take a look. Today’s game again reminded me that the PP’s struggles are due to a lack of talent, not coaching.
- Bleh.
- Nathan Horton, if he can dodge the injury concerns he has gone through, is going to be a player. Surprisingly soft hands, and a nose for the net.
I’ll quit now while I’m behind. Bad game, bad effort, bad way to go into the All-Star break. And then we’ll get the bad All-Star uniforms. Maybe the break will help the Caps, let them heal up, chill out, and re-dedicate.
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The second period was the worst effort I’ve seen fromt he Caps all year (yes, even worse than the Buffalo blowout). First shot on goal was a 6-on-5 about 13 minutes into the period. It was embarassing to be a Caps fan yesterday. EM, I hope you’re right and the Caps use this break to come back re-dedicated, because efforts like Saturday afternoon are inexcusable.
As for the refs, they destroyed any flow to the game (though the Caps would have lost anyway). Best example was the call on Brashear for “Interference” on his brushing of Belfour. Note that Belfour was not in the crease or in the trapezoid, but playing the puck well away from the net. Had Brashear wanted to he could have flattened Belfour — the fact that he clearly pulled up and barely touched the netminder should have meant no call.
First, the Caps’ play aside, this game was a clear example of all that’s wrong with the “new” nhl (and there’s quite a bit, aside from shootouts, that is right with the new nhl) – lack of flow, way too many ticky-tack obstruction penalties and odd-man play, no physical play, no hitting (that “rough” on Ovie in the third was a joke).
To the Caps play – no excuse whatsoever to play like that in front of a stellar Olie on the game before a lengthy break at home against the “rival” division opponent that EMBARRASSED you a week ago.
I actually thought Schultz played ok and cleared the puck reasonably well, at least compared to the rest of the blueliners.
The “2nd PP unit” is an automatic non-starter. We don’t have the personnel to throw out a full 2 minute PP that will strike any fear except for in the lower-end AHL team.
Could this loss, and the way it unveiled (unraveled?) itself, give all the evidence we need that the Caps miss the playoffs for a third-straight season? I’ll hope for better of course, against all reason.
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