There was an all-too familiar
feeling in DC Monday night; that awful, sinking feeling fans have come to
expect every year. The Caps were headed home after another early-postseason
exit.
The script always seems
different, but the ending remains the same for the Caps. With a new coach, the
odds were stacked against them coming out of the lockout. The team struggled
immensely to start the season as they struggled to grasp the new system put in
by Adam Oates, their third coach in two seasons.
Just when it looked like the
Caps had dug themselves a hole too deep to dig out of, the team turned things
around and grew white-hot. Alex Ovechkin became a superstar once again, Braden
Holtby turned back into the star goalie from last year’s playoffs, and the team
rallied to win its fifth Southeast division title in six years.
There was hope that the Caps
would be able to stay hot in the playoffs as they faced the New York Rangers
yet again, but after jumping out to a two game lead, the Caps were unable to
close out the series and lost an embarrassing 5-0 contest in Game 7 in DC.
Yet again we are left to
wonder what went wrong; yet again we ask what is this team missing?
Much has been made about the
refereeing, especially after Ovechkin spoke out against the refs during his
exit interview. The Rangers had 28 power-play opportunities in the series while
the Caps had only 16. The Rangers were the least penalized team in the NHL in
the regular season, so perhaps it is no surprise that there would be a
discrepancy in power-plays, but the numbers hide just how important the
penalties were and how bad some of the calls seemed to be. Too many penalties
derailed the Caps’ offense. Frustration over the lack of calls against New York
boiled over and led to more penalties as the Caps lashed out against their
opponents.
The reffing was undeniably
one-sided, but not for any sinister reason. My theory is that the refs were fed
up with players like Jason Chimera and Mike Ribeiro who have made a habit of
voicing their displeasure to the refs. As a result, whether consciously or
subconsciously, the refs made the Caps pay.
Still, the Caps did this to
themselves. The Rangers agitated the Caps, and they responded by committing stupid
penalties. You cannot blame the refs for the numerous delay of game penalties
or the Caps retaliatory penalties. Teams are going to agitate the Caps as long
as it works. They needed to keep cooler heads on the ice and they were unable
to do so.
The contributions of Henrik
Lundqvist also cannot be over-stated. He is one of the best goalies in the
league and he looked like it. The Caps managed only 12 goals in seven games
against the Rangers and were shutout in the last two. Ovechkin was the league’s
leading scorer but scored only one goal in seven games.
As good as Lundqvist was, the
Rangers exposed a major weakness for the Caps; scoring depth.
Alexander Semin may have been
a scapegoat over the past few years, but his departure left a gaping scoring hole
on the second line. To try and fix this problem, General Manager George McPhee
attempted to address this problem by trading for Martin Erat, but it was not
enough.
Ultimately, the Caps are a
skilled team without enough skill and with little offensive grit. No one wanted
screened Lundqvist and the Caps managed few ‘dirty’ goals. There was not enough
traffic in front of Lundqvist and not enough offensive creativity. The Rangers
forced the puck back to the point and the Caps struggled to distribute, as
demonstrated by the team’s shot totals. Ovechkin led the team in shots, but the
next three highest shot totals came from defensemen. If Ovechkin is struggling
to beat Lundqvist, you can beat Karl Alzner will as well.
Depth was also an issue on
defense, where the John Erskine and Jack Hillen were exposed as major
weaknesses at the blue line.
I have constantly spoken out
against Erskine in the past, but this year he really turned me around. This
season may have been his best as a professional. Hillen also played incredibly
well, but the Ragners were not impressed.
Both Hillen and especially
Erskine were victimized by the Rangers. This is an area the Caps must address
this offseason. This was Erskine’s best season and he was still a step behind
come the playoffs. He simply is not a player you can depend on when it matters
most.
Without question, the biggest
problem for the Caps is in their heads. There are weaknesses in their lineup,
the refereeing could have been better, Lundqvist was hot, but all of these
obstacles could have been overcome. The Caps just flat out did not play well
enough to win this series.
Secondary scoring became a
glaring weakness because their stars were not producing. Ovechkin had zero
points in the last five games, Backstrom had only three points total, and the
team’s leading scorer was Mike Green with two goals. That simply is not good
enough.
The fact that the Caps could
be so easily agitated and pressured into taking dumb penalties shows a lack of
progression and maturity that just boggles the mind. The Caps have a great
roster full of stars in their prime with years of playoff experience. Why are
they still struggling to stay disciplined? Why are their stars struggling to
produce? Why is the pressure still affecting them so blatantly?
Despite everything else, the
biggest problem for this team is the mental hurdle they still have yet to
overcome. That fragile mentality was evident in the 5-0 loss Monday night when
the team collapsed at the first hint of adversity.
That same night, the Bruins
overcame a three goal deficit in their game 7, to defeat Toronto in overtime.
Between the Caps and Bruins, which would you guess is only two years removed
from a Stanley Cup?
Time for the Caps to toughen
up mentally or every year we will be left to ask ourselves, what’s missing?
For the latest in DC sports news, check out csnwashington.com or follow me on Twitter @TheDC_Sportsguy
Showing posts with label New York Rangers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label New York Rangers. Show all posts
Thursday, May 16, 2013
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
Caps-Rangers preview
And so they meet again.
For the third year in a row and the fourth time in five seasons, the Washington Capitals will meet the New York Rangers in the playoffs. Every year these teams take very different routes to the playoffs and this year was no different.
Every Caps’ fan knows the roller coaster season the Caps have had. After starting the season 2-8-1, the Caps went on a tear. They looked like a lottery team and finished as one of the hottest teams in the league. Much of their success coincided with the resurgence of Alex Ovechkin, who wrapped up his third career Rocket Richard Trophy for most goals in the league. Despite the rocky start, the Caps rebounded to win the last ever Southeast Division Championship, their fifth in six years and seventh in team history.
The Caps head into the postseason having won 11 of their past 13, but really have been riding a hot streak for half the season now. That kind of streak and confidence can go a long way in the postseason, as the defending champion LA Kings can attest to.
Similarly, the Rangers are riding their own streak having gone 10-3-1 in the month of April which was sorely needed as the Rangers have been underachieving all season long. Will their new found confidence be enough to lead them past the Caps?
Offensive Key: Which offense will stay hot?
New York lost in the Eastern Conference Finals last season to New Jersey. With the addition of star winger Rick Nash in the off season the Rangers looked poised to challenge for the Stanley Cup, but were unable to gain the type of offensive veracity most people envisioned. They finished the season with 2.6 goals per game, good for 15th in the NHL. John Tortorella, the angry grandfather of NHL coaches, might not be the right coach for the roster this team has assembled.
The Ranger's recent run, however, came after a deadline trade with Columbus that sent Marion Gaborik to Columbus and brought in Derik Brassard, among others. The result thus far has been the type of offensive productions the Rangers have sought all year. Is this is a sign of improvement or simply a recent hot-streak that will cool down in the postseason?
It is well known how good the Caps are offensively, the question is whether the Rangers will be able to keep up.
Defensive Key: Can the Caps control their defensive zone?
The Rangers may have struggled to score but with their offensive talent they can put together a potent attack at any time.
Defensively, the Caps have really struggled to control their own crease. Tortorella’s teams always like to agitate and I expect on every offensive shift, someone will plant himself in front of Braden Holtby and dare the defense to kick him out.
The Caps also are terrible at covering the cross-ice pass. The defense can at times get sucked into a play and lose track of an opposing winger, leaving them open for an easy strike.
Controlling the crease will be a major key for the Caps. With the Rangers’ recent offensive surge, however, the Caps also cannot afford to lose track of New York’s dangerous scorers.
Goalie key: How many games can Lundqvist steal?
The Rangers managed to climb into the playoffs thanks to star goaltender Henrik Lundqvist. In the recent history between the Caps and Rangers, many players have come and gone. Lundqvist, however, has been there for all three of the recent series and he has been a rock each time. He will be critical in this series.
The Caps have the fourth best offense in the league and the top ranked power play. The Caps have been able at times to score on Lundqvist, but he is more than capable of stealing a game or two for the Rangers in this series and he will have to for the Rangers to have any chance.
Opposite him, will be Braden Holtby who established himself last year when he was thrust into the spotlight thanks to injuries to both Tomas Vokoun and Michal Neuvirth. Holtby unexpectedly found himself as the starting goalie in the playoffs and he was fantastic. The Caps will not rely on Holtby as much as the Rangers will rely on Lundqvist, but he will still need to be strong in this series if the Caps hope to win.
Special teams key: Can the Rangers stay disciplined?
The Caps have the best power play in the league. The Rangers have the 15th penalty kill. They are extremely aggressive, but to a fault. There are times when all four penalty killers will swarm to the puck, leaving someone alone and open in front of the net. The Rangers know they cannot do that against Ovechkin and the Caps because they will be shredded. If Ovechkin finds himself alone and by himself, it will not matter who’s in net.
Still, unless you see drastic improvement from the Rangers, the power play will be an obvious strength for the Caps.
As I said before, Tortorella coached teams love to agitate their opponents. They will play very physically against the Caps, but they must stay disciplined. The Rangers cannot afford to give the Caps too many chances on the power play or the Caps will make them pay.
Prediction:
Offense will decide this series. The Rangers need to score like the team everyone thought they would be all season long and the Caps need to score like the team we’ve seen in the second half of the season. More specifically, Ovechkin needs to score like the player we’ve seen in the second half.
Ovechkin leads the team (and the league) with 32 goals. Troy Brouwer is second on the team with 19 and Mike Ribeiro is third with 13. For you math whizzes out there, that means Ovechkin has more goals than both Brouwer and Ribeiro combined. You can say the Caps need to get secondary scoring, but who are we kidding? Ovechkin got them here; the postseason is not the time to suddenly depend on secondary scoring.
The Caps will win this series if Ovechkin can score five goals. That’s a tall task for a playoff series and against a goalie like Lundqvist, but the Caps will need that kind of production from him to survive.
The hotter Ovechkin remains, the better the Caps will fare against their familiar foes.
For the latest sports news, follow me on Twitter @TheDC_Sportsguy
For the third year in a row and the fourth time in five seasons, the Washington Capitals will meet the New York Rangers in the playoffs. Every year these teams take very different routes to the playoffs and this year was no different.
Every Caps’ fan knows the roller coaster season the Caps have had. After starting the season 2-8-1, the Caps went on a tear. They looked like a lottery team and finished as one of the hottest teams in the league. Much of their success coincided with the resurgence of Alex Ovechkin, who wrapped up his third career Rocket Richard Trophy for most goals in the league. Despite the rocky start, the Caps rebounded to win the last ever Southeast Division Championship, their fifth in six years and seventh in team history.
The Caps head into the postseason having won 11 of their past 13, but really have been riding a hot streak for half the season now. That kind of streak and confidence can go a long way in the postseason, as the defending champion LA Kings can attest to.
Similarly, the Rangers are riding their own streak having gone 10-3-1 in the month of April which was sorely needed as the Rangers have been underachieving all season long. Will their new found confidence be enough to lead them past the Caps?
Offensive Key: Which offense will stay hot?
New York lost in the Eastern Conference Finals last season to New Jersey. With the addition of star winger Rick Nash in the off season the Rangers looked poised to challenge for the Stanley Cup, but were unable to gain the type of offensive veracity most people envisioned. They finished the season with 2.6 goals per game, good for 15th in the NHL. John Tortorella, the angry grandfather of NHL coaches, might not be the right coach for the roster this team has assembled.
The Ranger's recent run, however, came after a deadline trade with Columbus that sent Marion Gaborik to Columbus and brought in Derik Brassard, among others. The result thus far has been the type of offensive productions the Rangers have sought all year. Is this is a sign of improvement or simply a recent hot-streak that will cool down in the postseason?
It is well known how good the Caps are offensively, the question is whether the Rangers will be able to keep up.
Defensive Key: Can the Caps control their defensive zone?
The Rangers may have struggled to score but with their offensive talent they can put together a potent attack at any time.
Defensively, the Caps have really struggled to control their own crease. Tortorella’s teams always like to agitate and I expect on every offensive shift, someone will plant himself in front of Braden Holtby and dare the defense to kick him out.
The Caps also are terrible at covering the cross-ice pass. The defense can at times get sucked into a play and lose track of an opposing winger, leaving them open for an easy strike.
Controlling the crease will be a major key for the Caps. With the Rangers’ recent offensive surge, however, the Caps also cannot afford to lose track of New York’s dangerous scorers.
Goalie key: How many games can Lundqvist steal?
The Rangers managed to climb into the playoffs thanks to star goaltender Henrik Lundqvist. In the recent history between the Caps and Rangers, many players have come and gone. Lundqvist, however, has been there for all three of the recent series and he has been a rock each time. He will be critical in this series.
The Caps have the fourth best offense in the league and the top ranked power play. The Caps have been able at times to score on Lundqvist, but he is more than capable of stealing a game or two for the Rangers in this series and he will have to for the Rangers to have any chance.
Opposite him, will be Braden Holtby who established himself last year when he was thrust into the spotlight thanks to injuries to both Tomas Vokoun and Michal Neuvirth. Holtby unexpectedly found himself as the starting goalie in the playoffs and he was fantastic. The Caps will not rely on Holtby as much as the Rangers will rely on Lundqvist, but he will still need to be strong in this series if the Caps hope to win.
Special teams key: Can the Rangers stay disciplined?
The Caps have the best power play in the league. The Rangers have the 15th penalty kill. They are extremely aggressive, but to a fault. There are times when all four penalty killers will swarm to the puck, leaving someone alone and open in front of the net. The Rangers know they cannot do that against Ovechkin and the Caps because they will be shredded. If Ovechkin finds himself alone and by himself, it will not matter who’s in net.
Still, unless you see drastic improvement from the Rangers, the power play will be an obvious strength for the Caps.
As I said before, Tortorella coached teams love to agitate their opponents. They will play very physically against the Caps, but they must stay disciplined. The Rangers cannot afford to give the Caps too many chances on the power play or the Caps will make them pay.
Prediction:
Offense will decide this series. The Rangers need to score like the team everyone thought they would be all season long and the Caps need to score like the team we’ve seen in the second half of the season. More specifically, Ovechkin needs to score like the player we’ve seen in the second half.
Ovechkin leads the team (and the league) with 32 goals. Troy Brouwer is second on the team with 19 and Mike Ribeiro is third with 13. For you math whizzes out there, that means Ovechkin has more goals than both Brouwer and Ribeiro combined. You can say the Caps need to get secondary scoring, but who are we kidding? Ovechkin got them here; the postseason is not the time to suddenly depend on secondary scoring.
The Caps will win this series if Ovechkin can score five goals. That’s a tall task for a playoff series and against a goalie like Lundqvist, but the Caps will need that kind of production from him to survive.
The hotter Ovechkin remains, the better the Caps will fare against their familiar foes.
For the latest sports news, follow me on Twitter @TheDC_Sportsguy
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