Post-Game Talk: Capitals win game 1, lead series 1-0

[Tyson]

To me Newhook is more a problem than Laine on the second line, the guy has no vision

They simply don't mesh.

 

[The Great Weal]

Switch Heineman and Laine and I think they can work with that.

Heineman has been offensively inept since the car accident and you'd be taking away the identity of the 4th line. Team is flawed, MSL can only double shift other players and avoiding playing that line from the 3rd period.

 

[le_sean]

Heineman has been offensively inept since the car accident and you'd be taking away the identity of the 4th line. Team is flawed, MSL can only double shift other players and avoiding playing that line from the 3rd period.

Heineman was the best forward not on the 1st line last night. He was tenacious, fights hard and plays with speed.

You’re saying what offence does he provide. Well what offence does that 2nd line provide? At least put someone there that can play hard.

 

[Mats NAslund]

They played well and could have easily won. I don't see a need to make changes in light of that fact.

The habs scored 1ES and 1PP goal.

There are no greater combination of that will suddenly make the second line explode. And again, they didnt even play badly yesterday so I don't understand the urgency to blow up other lines.

Are the caps freaking out that they only scored when Ovi was on the ice? Are they gonna blow up the lines because they had one player leading the offense?

For 2 periods it was Caps domination and Montreal gripping the holly shit bars!
O-Zone time of possession, the caps owned that zone and if not for the stellar play of Montambeault the game would have been out of hand very early

 

[Seb]

Heineman has been offensively inept since the car accident and you'd be taking away the identity of the 4th line. Team is flawed, MSL can only double shift other players and avoiding playing that line from the 3rd period.

6 hits, 1 shot with only 10 mins TOI yesterday. I thought he played great.

 

[Mats NAslund]

To me Newhook is more a problem than Laine on the second line, the guy has no vision

He's a defacto C, he's filling a hole and prob shouldn't be. Ya ya I know he's vet and has won a Stanley cup and skates like the wind... Who cares!

I don't care what his name is or how long he's played in the NHL for, move Newhook back to the wing and play a natural C.

Evans ,Kapanen who ever they both have more vision and offensive flare than Newhook as a Centre

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

Like the Guhle call in the scrum in the first ? I mean..... Guhle barely did anything and a scrum were mangiapane was running around hitting people in the face all Guhle did was try to separate him from Hutson who stood there taking punches to the face. It's a joke we ended up on the PK after that whole sequence.

Bad calls are going to happen. We didn’t lose because of it. Bad calls happened to us back when we were winning cups.

For the most part the refs have put their whistles away. So we need to adjust. That’s all there is to it.

 

[That Habs Fan]

Bad calls are going to happen. We didn’t lose because of it. Bad calls happened to us back when we were winning cups.

For the most part the refs have put their whistles away. So we need to adjust. That’s all there is to it.

Exactly this. I was kind of disappointed Anderson/Slaf/Guhle didn't start taking healthy runs at guys once it became clear not much was going to be called.

 

[The Great Weal]

Heineman was the best forward not on the 1st line last night. He was tenacious, fights hard and plays with speed.

I mean I strongly disagree. Besides hitting and forechecking, he didn't really do much. And that's fine, it's what 4th liners do.

You’re saying what offence does he provide. Well what offence does that 2nd line provide? At least put someone there that can play hard.

Heienman has 1 point in his last 22 games which was a powerplay assist. He was very poor on the 2nd line as well to the point where he got replaced by Kapanen. People seem to think we got a ton of players suitable for the 2nd line but they've all been tried there and have sucked. Might as well keep Heineman on a gritty 4th line instead of have him do nothing with his non-existent offense on the 2nd line and Laine skating 1km/hour on a gritty forechecking 4th line.

 

[The Great Weal]

6 hits, 1 shot with only 10 mins TOI yesterday. I thought he played great.

I never said he didn't play well. I said he is offensively inept since returning, and his 1 point which was a powerplay assist in the last 22 games is proof of that. He's still useful physically and on the forecheck.

 

[Skip Bayless]

Exactly this. I was kind of disappointed Anderson/Slaf/Guhle didn't start taking healthy runs at guys once it became clear not much was going to be called.

The team was intimidated

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

I was watching a podcast last night they were saying it's fine to have small players **if they are really your best most skilled players**. It's fine to have Hutson and Caufield... but you can't have too many small guys. And once you have Hutson and Caufield, is there really room for small average 5'11 players? And it's not just height you know, Suzuki is also 5'11 but he's built like a tank, I don't consider him small. Newhook though? He is small and plays small and IMO, there is no room for players like that in a bottom 6 on a contender. Especially given that we also have Gallagher. I just think Newhook needs to go. I don't want him on the wing, at center or anywhere in our bottom 6. Just my opinion.

We’re an average size team. Yeah we’ve got a couple of small guys but so do most teams. I wouldn’t worry to much about this.

That being said, it’s a big reason why we got Kirby Dach. He was a big strong 2nd line option and we don’t have that anymore. Sucks for us but it is what it is I guess.

RB joins next year. We’ll need a 2nd line center… hopefully we get one with decent size.

 

[Redux91]

It sucks but I just can't be upset lol

We weren't winning the cup
and odds were we weren't winning this series

Just didn't want to lose 5-0 is all

I thought it was so funny they manhandle us in the 1st, but then we score a couple in the 3rd
Our EXACT gameplan against all the top teams this year lmao

Love that the 1st line was figuring it out late
love that we handled a lot of their pressure and physicality, and they kind of foot off the pedal near the end

I love that everyone who was playing in their first playoffs or playoff game ALREADY have a NHL playoff overtime sensation under their belts

If Xhekaj doesnt play next game I will seriously question Marty's logic..

If you need to go 11 / 7 then f***ing do it anyway, that "2nd line" is just lost right now and they don't mesh, turn that line into : scratch Demidov (Sigh, I know but we have to for now), use Newhook situationally as a center or winger when you're rolling 3 lines, and use Laine on the PP and scarcely 5 on 5

Again, we weren't supposed to BE here or win this thing, just proud of the boys getting a taste of this stuff
already a rousing success, OT tight loss vs the Eastern favorites
Proud of the lads

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

And on the D way to soft

Nah. We pushed right back. Team showed a lot of guts. It’s almost like people aren’t watching these games.

 

[Reimannsum1988]

Exactly this. I was kind of disappointed Anderson/Slaf/Guhle didn't start taking healthy runs at guys once it became clear not much was going to be called.

Slafkovsky is never going to be that guy; it's a matter of disposition that cannot be taught. He is what he is - a finesse player with size, somewhat like Laine in that one respect.

 

[Reimannsum1988]

Nah. We pushed right back. Team showed a lot of guts. It’s almost like people aren’t watching these games.

They're watching them but only perceiving them through the lens of preconceptions.

 

[Mats NAslund]

Heineman has been offensively inept since the car accident and you'd be taking away the identity of the 4th line. Team is flawed, MSL can only double shift other players and avoiding playing that line from the 3rd period.

Laine has been absent 5 on 5 for 52 games!

Balance the lines for more scoring

Caufield Suzuki Slaf
Gallagher Dvorak Anderson
Armia Evans Demidov
Laine Newhook Heineman

 

[Nico Cauzuki]

I'm also good with this but Laine's 5 on 5 needs to be limited he offers nothing at this point and hasn't for a long long time now

i hate Laine hes so useless outside the PP but the Suzuki line and Dvorak one cannot change

 

[Ozmodiar]

If they go down 0-2, I’d put both Xhekajs in.

Heineman with Newhook line.

Florian with Evans.

Has anyone heard the term “go down swinging”?

Give me 4 lines of hustle. Not 3.

 

[Andy]

Nah. We pushed right back. Team showed a lot of guts. It’s almost like people aren’t watching these games.

They aren't. They are using the same mental heuristics from 2010 that no longer apply. So much PTSD.

Whatever forecheck the caps had in the first 10-12 minutes that overwhelmed the habs was the same forecheck the habs gave to the caps in the third that overwhelmed them.

 

[OldCraig71]

-Marty should have challenged the high stick because it cost us a goal.

-We are too small and the only guys to answer the bell physically are Anderson and Guhle which isn't nearly enough.

-Montembeault is a very good goalie and deserved a better result.

-They made a game of it and on to game 2 where I hope to see some brutality added to the lineup.

 

[The Great Weal]

Laine has been absent 5 on 5 for 52 games!

And the answer isn't Heineman who has 1 point in the last 22 games and also tried on the 2nd line where he failed.

 

[Mats NAslund]

i hate Laine hes so useless outside the PP but the Suzuki line and Dvorak one cannot change

Agreed I have no issues keeping those lines intact

Laine Newhook Heineman (can do all the digging and get to the net, Laine can continue being the shooter)
Armia Evans Demidov (You keep the Armia Evans Chemistry and add a weapon to the line)

Creates balanced scoring all the while staying responsible defensively

 

[teamfirst]

Again, we weren't supposed to BE here or win this thing, just proud of the boys getting a taste of this stuff
already a rousing success, OT tight loss vs the Eastern favorites
Proud of the lads

We all should be proud of them, they clearly have that never quit attitude, and you're right MSL needs to find a way to give Xhejka this NHL playoffs experience.

This serie is far from over, down by one after the first game is the same as being down by one after the first period

Go Go

 

[Miller Time]

They aren't. They are using the same mental heuristics from 2010 that no longer apply. So much PTSD.

Whatever forecheck the caps had in the first 10-12 minutes that overwhelmed the habs was the same forecheck the habs gave to the caps in the third that overwhelmed them.

Must have been the result of an in-game growth spurt for our young roster lol