This one really hurt. The great gains made Friday in Newark were swiftly returned against a lesser foe Saturday at home. It seems incongruent that so stellar a team effort to open a weekend could be followed by so collosal a mess of stinky individualism 24 hours later. But that’s exactly what happened, and more importantly, it’s what happens when George McPhee’s core collection of 20 to 24-year-olds, many of whom are playing their first meaningful games in March in their NHL careers, are pitted against an equally desperate, more veteran club.
Frustrating as it is, it’s actually supposed to be this way. Call it, growing pains.
I shared a post-game elevator ride with Saturday night’s CBC broadcast team, silently listening to the commentators dissect the downside of so much “skilled youth” skating in high-pressure, high stakes, unchartered territory. The broadcasters were deeply appreciative of the young Caps’ abilities — and deeply convinced of their struggle down the stretch. Not certain doom, mind you, just certain struggle. Verizon Center throngs of 17- and 18,000 strong nightly will attempt to will the Young Guns into first place in the Southeast from outside the plexiglass. But the community of the fervid and faithful will be powerless to effect any shortcuts through the inexperience out on the ice. The cold hard reality is that over the next five weeks, much of them under the bright CBC lights, there will be moments of great glory juxtaposed by evenings of ugly infamy.
Just as there should be.
Bruce Boudreau wanted Friday night’s 60 minutes against the Devils “bottled” and replicated against the Leafs. A year from now, the wager here is, he’ll get it. Now, though, he can’t. Likely, he knows this, as does his general manger. That all three of Tuesday’s trade dealine acquisitions were north of 28 in age is almost certainly no coincidence. Now, though, they must be introduced and acclimated to their stranger teammates. Some nights (Friday) they’ll appear to have been partnered together for two or three seasons, on others (Saturday), like speed dating acquaintances.
How many times Saturday night did a lone Cap attempt to puck-carry past three or four perfectly positioned Leafs? (About 25.) This is precisely what the young and the inexperienced and super-skilled do under duress. It isn’t out of selfishness — the opposite, actually. The supremely skilled but novice desperately want to hero-lead their teammates through the tough times.
“We tried to beat four guys,” Sergei Fedorov said afterward. “You need to use everyone.”
“We need to get used to each other,” he added.
The good news is that there’s resiliency and composure among this band of very young brothers. I expected to see a bunch of beaten and downcast Caps in the room afterward. The really young were quiet, but there were no tantrums, no moaning and groaning, no ‘woe is us’ from a single one. Meanwhile, vets like Fedorov and Kolzig were stoic and calmly, thoughtfully analytic. Ugly as it was, Saturday was merely one night’s failing with more than 15 games remaining. A week’s slate with high-quality opponents produced four of a possible six points.
The team’s coach, however, was appropriately angry.
“We got outworked in a game we couldn’t get outworked in,” he said. “Today we were all individuals . . . We got what we asked for.”
A reporter, noting the brilliance of the night’s first power play, had the four thereafter characterized for him by Gabby before he could finish his question — they “looked horrible,” the coach interjected. Insidious individualism — again cropping up out of good intentions — had infected the man-up units as well.
More rough returns from hard lessons still be learned: the failed finishings from cross-ice and back door setups — a Saturday night of seemingly a dozen whiffs: “We’ve gotta be so hungry to score that we bear down and bury them through the back of the net,” the coach reflected.
Sunday will offer no instruction, no meeting room shouting from the head coach. “A mental health day,” Gabby announced it.
The effects of stress are felt at every age.
13 Comments
it is unfair to say: what have you done for me lately but it is time to ask that unpleasant question. the caps’ d are near the bottom of the league in goals allowed. they were as well last year. it’s easy to blame the ‘d’ (I’ll put the onus on john erskine who reminds me of an immobile keven hatcher) but olie’s save % places him at the bottom of the league. he is not the same as he was and it is unfair to hold him to the same level of quality that he used to perform but that was then and this is now. I recognize he is in many ways the face of the caps when times were good; bad; and about to change again but he does not produce consistent results that will take the team to the next level. huet was acquired for a reason: let him become the #1 until it is demonstrated that he cannot do it. and, by the by, what about the minors and see how they’ve been developing the goaltenders?
It should have been a Huet day. Coach said if Huet was outstanding, then he would start back to back games this weekend. It is a physical impossibility to be more outstanding than a shutout. My hope is that Coach isn’t intimidated by Kolzig.
Off topic- if it is to your liking, can you add our blog to your links?
You nailed it with this post. Take Poti, Pothier out of the equation, and the rest of the D still smells of Hershey Bears jerseys…
How many odd man rushes has Olie faced this year? He has to average three a game. That is from an inconsistent defense, and with (God Love Him) Green usually charging the net…
Blaming Olie is like criticizing the fireman trying to contain the fire, while ignoring the real arsonists, whom the cops (Dmen) have let slip into the building.
“You nailed it with this post. Take Poti, Pothier out of the equation, and the rest of the D still smells of Hershey Bears jerseys…”
Green, Morrison and Schultz are all good enough to be in the NHL, no question. Maybe not Norris candidates, but far better than AHL quality.
On the one hand Kolzig probably isn’t the worst goalie in the NHL, but the fact that is dead last in save percentage means that he isn’t very good especially given that Johnson, a backup caliber goalie, has better numbers. It’s hard to claim a guy who leads the league in PIMs isn’t an aggressive player, it’s hard to claim a player who has the lowest per-minute point production is a good offensive player, it’s hard to claim that the player with the worst +/- in the league is a good defender and it’s hard to claim that the goalie with the worst save percentage isn’t below average.
Olie is fine at this point as a backup and he’s played well when he gets enough rest. But he really shouldn’t be challenging the guy with the highest post-lockout save percentage for the starting role. And truthfully, I don’t think he is.
Kolzig has not been great in most of his games this year. He is slow and routinely out of position on easy goals. We got Huet for a reason, and we need to ride him to a playoff spot. I would even say rotate Johnny and Olie for the back up slot.
“He is slow and routinely out of position on easy goals”
Oh, Please. I guess that is why Olie is 11-6-3 in the last twenty?
I am not saying that Huet’s arrival is a bad thing, but this Olie bashing is poo…
further here if you’d like more than a paragraph of argument.
http://www.spankthatdonkey.com/spankthatdonkey2/2008/3/2/ungrateful-capitals-fans.html
Now as for the Capitals Defense, compare it to NJD who have 5 D with four or more years NHL season long experience, with four having 6 or better.
Yet we scorch them for four goals in front of Huet, and Toronto, a team not exactly known for it’s goal scoring comes from behind to beat us 3-2 in a back to back game for them?
The difference, Veterans…
Olie should have asked to be traded in 2003-2004, instead of staying loyal to the celler dweller Caps, and their oh, so, loyal fans.
I agree with regards to some Capitals fans. While I think the writing is on the wall with regards to Kolzig’s future (he’s a capable backup but his body doesn’t seem to be up for being a number one) and that the franchise needs to see this and play who they think gives them the best chances to win, there are some fans whose reactions I find abhorrent. It’s not as if Olie is playing below his standard on purpose or anything and it’s not fair to fault him for being human and getting older.
Fans who want Olie in net just because of his previous contributions don’t make sense to me because as a fan I want whoever is going to make it most likely the team will win (provided they’re not a felon or something), but that doesn’t mean we have to just kick Kolzig to the curb and ignore what he’s done.
It really isn’t fair to compare most defenses with the NJD. Even in his prime Kolzig wasn’t great at controlling rebounds. At the twilight, that fact is illuminated. Statistically I would doubt he faces more odd man rushes than other goaltenders. Having played the position, save percentage is a big indication.
While I respect the past, what is important is the present.
It seemed to be implied on my blog that I was not a Caps fan because I don’t think Kolzig should be the goalie anymore. Thats bull hockey. We go to every home game and cheer or throats out. Even for Olie. When its time its time.
As an aside, while I welcome people to visit our site. Please don’t turn it into a flamefest. I write that page for the enjoyment of my son and I mostly. Play nice.
Caps defense Facts:
164 NHL Games of experience or less
John Erskine, Steve Eminger, Mike Green, Jeff Schultz
246 games or less
Milan Jurcina, Shaone Morrison
while, Pothier has about 4 years experience, he has missed over 20 games, due to injury. Tom Poti, the actual veteran at 9 years.
The Washington Capitals have scored 1 goal Five on Three this year. Have they scored more than one short handed goal? One player accounts for 25% of their offense. Hardly a consistent team.
Two players, Kozlov & Brashear are the only veterans that have consistently played for our team.
Oh, BTW the goalie that has gone 11-6-3 in the past twenty games is the reason why the Capitals are losing, certainly not rookie squad in front of him, that does get him a lot of practice fending off odd man rushes…
Huet is a great goalie, I hope BB makes the best of this and sheperds this team deep into the playoffs… I hope that the Capitals Fans will give him the respect he deserves, for sticking by a cellar dweller of a three year stats killer, rebuilding team.
This game reminded me of the Russia-Finland game in Moscow last year. Russia seemed to clearly be the more talented team, and their players were flying all over the ice. But a mentality arose where it seemed each player wanted to be the hero. As Pucks mentioned, that’s not a bad motivation, but hockey’s nature is one that often punishes those who seek to carry a team alone.
The best Caps games are when all those on the ice play important roles (e.g., Brooks’ 4-point night against Minnesota) and as a team. Hopefully they’ll return to the team-first mantra on Monday.
I was listening to the recent NHL Live podcast of Bryan Trottier talking about the Islanders dynasty from the early 80s.
He talked about a collection of young talented kids in the late 70s learning some hard lessons through tough losses (playoffs, mind you), which eventually helped them win later. He said it’s the losses that teach you how to win. That really resounded to me as I watch this young, talent-laden team. Part of me was left wondering if it’s actually better for this team to miss the playoffs this year so they realize they can’t take days off if they want to win.
Although I hate losing no matter what, a loss like Saturday night’s is easier to take when it’s a bunch of youngsters making mistakes rather than a bunch of underachieving 30 somethings like we had back in 02-03. I remember plenty of annoying losses last year and we could do is scratch our heads and go, huh??
I figured we’d come out of the weekend games with two points. We just got them in reverse order. This is the week that could make or break the season. If the Caps can come out of the next four games with four points, they’ll be in decent shape. If they get five or more, even better. You know what it’ll mean if they lose three or four.
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