GDT: GM 57: Caps to Oil the machine in B2B afternoon games

[Ovechkins Wodka]

Not that I mind the charity goal but pulling your goalie down 6-3 when you’ve playing like that all night is kinda insane.

Didnt we make they playoffs last season with one of this way to early goalie pulls lol

 

[RandyHolt]

I love how Ovi released that ENG quickly.

Don't get cute and feel like you have skate to center and then slow dump it. It was painful for DECADES watching players coached to never risk an icing living in fear of a dzone faceoff ignoring your best players can easily hit that empty net.

All hail the king.

 

[zappa4ever]

 

[Ovechkins Wodka]

Penguins have shot advantage 31 to 8 and are losing two to one lol

 

[RedRocking]

“Hot as a pistol, but cool inside”

 

[Midnight Judges]

Not that I mind the charity goal but pulling your goalie down 6-3 when you’ve playing like that all night is kinda insane.

Not much downside to pulling the goalie there. I bet the math shows a slightly increased likelihood of winning by pulling him.

 

[Pigskin]

Just finished the game

i've kinda thought it a few times at various times, but today it really hit me in the face ... we can win the whole damn thing this year ... in it up to our ears

how good was that game ... seriously

 

[g00n]

He may not be wrong. The quick, clean puck movement and positioning recently, and this game specifically....haven't seen the Caps that on-point since the Cup run.

I love that they're controlling the boards with the D-men and as soon as it looks like one of the D-men might get in trouble or pressed a forward drops back to the middle for a shorter passing option and extra protection without giving up the zone. So many scoring chances seem to come from what might have been odd-man rushes in years past.

You can only do this if you have a really good corps of defensemen, and they do.

 

[Pigskin]

In the back of my mind, i kinda hope he doesn't score the last 13 too quickly ... i'd be concerned we would have an extended period of letdown leading into the playoffs

I guess there is the 900 goal mark, but still

Carbs would surely already be thinking about that scenario

895 seems inevitable, I want another Cup

 

[Alexander the Gr8]

In the back of my mind, i kinda hope he doesn't score the last 13 too quickly ... i'd be concerned we would have an extended period of letdown leading into the playoffs

I guess there is the 900 goal mark, but still

Carbs would surely already be thinking about that scenario

895 seems inevitable, I want another Cup

I think a period of rest before the playoffs would certainly help. He was completely cooked last year after basically playing playoff hockey for 2 months to secure the final spot.

I think it will come down to the final few games, then the playoffs will be right around the corner.

 

[Pigskin]

I think a period of rest before the playoffs would certainly help. He was completely cooked last year after basically playing playoff hockey for 2 months to secure the final spot.

I think it will come down to the final few games, then the playoffs will be right around the corner.

I'm more thinking of the whole team having a letdown period, although i didn't convey that

Ovi's mood/desire likely sets the tone for everybody ... does he have another gear for the playoffs? as great as he is, not sure he does

if we go deep into the playoffs, he will be the most cooked Ovi we have ever seen

 

[Maruk moustache]

Not much downside to pulling the goalie there. I bet the math shows a slightly increased likelihood of winning by pulling him.

I once heard someone, possibly Laughlin, saying something to the effect of “the math suggests you should pull the goalie with about 8 minutes left when you’re down by 3, with about 5 minutes left when you’re down by 2, and with about 3 minutes left when you’re down by 1.” I think that’s what I heard anyway. That was about five years ago or something, and I haven’t tried to Google this yet.

 

[Alexander the Gr8]

I'm more thinking of the whole team having a letdown period, although i didn't convey that

Ovi's mood/desire likely sets the tone for everybody ... does he have another gear for the playoffs? as great as he is, not sure he does

if we go deep into the playoffs, he will be the most cooked Ovi we have ever seen

I don’t expect a Conn Smythe-level performance from Ovi, but I think he knows this is his possibly his last chance to win another one. My thinking is that the hunger will be there even when the body won’t be.

Deep in the playoffs is where we’ll need young guys like CMM or Protas to carry the mail. You could say the same on D with Chychrun carrying the play instead of Carlson.

Fortunately, this iteration of the Caps is the one that needs Ovi the least to succeed. We saw that when he was absent for 2 months with a broken leg.

 

[Block]

I'm more thinking of the whole team having a letdown period, although i didn't convey that

Ovi's mood/desire likely sets the tone for everybody ... does he have another gear for the playoffs? as great as he is, not sure he does

if we go deep into the playoffs, he will be the most cooked Ovi we have ever seen

That's why he needs to get it in the middle of March so they have enough time to mentally reset for the playoffs.