And I don't disagree with you Prod...Girardi made a bad play...IT HAPPENS. This isn't the fantasy world where guys never make a mistake. Have I missed the Caps getting tons of chances up and down? The D has been fine today. YES Girardi made a bad play...let's go kill him. I actually think that is the 1st bad play in the history of hockey by any player every. Darn...it was bound to happen at some point, just sucks he was the 1st. In other news we have ZERO goals again against a solid defensive team as Hayes and Lindberg and Glass and Moore take shifts.
That play right there is a perfect example. 3 on 2 with Nash Stepan and McD and we don't even pressure them. It's an instant offensive zone turnover. We are just incapable of doing anything offensively well.
Are you talking to yourself at this point bro? Nobody here is disagreeing with you at all. Nobody. Ive been saying since the draft we need a scoring forward in the worst way. But just because the forwards are struggling doesnt mean there arent other issues. And nobody is "bitching about the d," myself and Mel are frustrated that AV is playing a clearly hobbled Girardi instead of a better option in McIlrath. No idea how that is "bitching about the D."
And YES I think McIlrath should be playing. I said that before G and Klein came back as well. But guess what...WE HAVE ZERO GOALS so it wouldn't matter if he was playing anyway. We scored ZERO goals against the Panthers as well. But yeah let's hang G for a bad play...LOL.
Please stop with the D is not part of the problem of what's going on here. They play a big part in AV puck control system ! Of course, we all see that management sucks and did not add a legitimate top 6 forward..this teams most significant need. That combined with the big zero from our young guys leaves the team a one line team. But there is NO WAY that the D does not play a big part in the miserable play. Staal and Girardi have declined drastically and can't even make a breakout pass. They're slow to the puck in their end and just dont have any jump to their game. Forget about defending, I'm talking about geting and moving the puck...THEY HAVE BEEN MISERBALE. The team has no flow or transition game up the ice with those guys. I'd also like to echo an agreement that Mcd is way overrated. He was never a dominant offensive player in college and is expected to be a great two way defenseman in the NHL...it just doesn't happen. He is just another guy this organization has made out to be a great player...he is a very good defenseman with average O skills.. NOT a great dman !
And guess what Prod...IT DOESN'T MATTER because we cannot score against good defensive teams. You guys are complaining about pointless stuff. Who cares when we don't score. Focus on the real issue not the sideshow. Glass, Moore, Stalberg, Etem, Hayes, Lindberg, Fast, Megna (although he has played well), Kreider. This is the focus. Some have no business playing at all. Others need to wake the F up or we have ZERO SHOT to do anything. And we need to add another scorer BADLY. That's the real issue not should McIlrath play over Girardi as we score no goals and the D plays well the past 5 games or so.
Offense, defense, special teams, goalie. We've been AWFUL in all aspects outside of a few weeks where Hank and Raanta stood on their heads and the offense scored goals at an outrageous percentage per shot. That's caught up and now we see what we really are with this team and this GM and coach. A mediocre team that can't hit the net, that struggles to handle a forecheck and struggles to get out of its own defensive zone and gets very little going in the offensive zone when they do get the puck there. It is what it is. Let's hope Gorton can make some impact trades so it's a quick turn around in the future.
Here is the bottom line. The O is the MUCH larger part of the issue than the D. The D is without a doubt good enough to take us where we want to go. The O is MILES AND MILES from being good enough to take us where we want to go. If you guys disagree, I respect your opinions, but then I guess we watch a different team and have for the past few years. We all said we needed Hayes, Kreider, Miller, Etem to step up if we were going to have a shot this season, and outside of Miller being okay it hasn't come close to happening. Is what it is.
And again that doesn't change the fact that I believe McIlrath should be playing. Also doesn't change the fact that the D had an awful stretch up until the past 5 games or so. I agree 10000000000000% on all of that. Still doesn't change the fact that the O is the main issue here big picture in my humble opinion.
The thing you're missing is that we spend A LOT of time typically in our defensive zone and cannot handle a forecheck because we aren't good in ANY aspect defensively. That affects us offensively because instead of having a transition offense we become a dump and race to the bench to change team. Instead of even dumping and chasing or working the puck into the zone, this team typically flies to the bench as soon as the puck is out of the defensive zone because the defense as a whole is so bad that they've exhausted themselves and need a change. That obviously affects our ability to have a productive offense. The defense can be bad enough that it affects our offense, and that's what's happening here.
Dylan needs to take things into his own hands and take girardi out in practice on accidental "on purpose " check.
The Caps look really good but it seems like they play every regular season game like it is the playoffs. I can see them having this tremendous regular season and doing nothing in the playoffs as usual.
Look at a guy like Justin Williams. He would have been a perfect fit here. R shot, score like 20 goals, knows how to produce in big games. Prod and I were 100% on the same page about him. He was the perfect fit here, but we couldn't get it done because we have zero cap space. That's the type of player we need. Very frustrating. To me I think we can play with any other team in the East. The Caps are IMO head and shoulders above the rest of the East right now. We need to really improve to have a shot against them in the playoffs.
I think we 1,000,000% need to trade Nash. Too much money tied up in a guy that only plays about 10 games a year like he gives a shit. Move him, clear cap space, trade Yandle (or resign him with Nash money but if they trade him they need a REAL scorer here not a pansy like a Nash) and lose Boyle and start it over next season.
Agreed mel. If he did that we'd still have zero goals. Still have zero goals against the Panthers. Still would not allow many chances the past 5 games or so. Things would be very different.... Look over here at the shiny ball while I focus on the real issue big picture. But yeah go Glass, Moore, Hayes, Lindberg, Fast, Stalberg, Kreider.
Is what it is. Score a darn goal and maybe we can get a couple and win this game. D has been fine...need to score. LET'S GO.
if we signed Justin Williams, he would've had like 2 goals and 3 assists by this point. No free agent signings ever work out for this organization except maybe for Pouliot one year.
Getting behind in games with guys falling down and guys making horseshit decsions just is adding to the misery as much as having 6 4th liners playing. They outskated and outbattled a Dallas team at the end of a road trip...goals were not pretty but the result of outworking Dallas. Knowing that you have to outwork your oppponent to score leaves no room for giving up crap goals early in game.
True Step. Guys come here with good histories and somehow always seem to fall into the "black ranger hole".
