Caps '11-'12 Thread [Dennis Wideman to Calgary for a 5th etc.]

[PokerPacker]

nice shutout for Holtby. That makes 3 in 15 NHL games he's started.

[MonkFan8]

Great win. Holtby needs to be the starter next year. We need his swagger. Confidence is a huge part of playing goal and the whole team thrives off of him making big saves.

Ovechkin is straight beasting right now. Hope Backstrom comes back ASAP.

[BRAVEONTHEWARPATH93]

Hell of a win...back in the 8th spot. 3 points out of 3rd, 2 out of 7th. Biggest game of the year on Tuesday (Thank god it's home).

[More Complete]

Awesome. Every game is a must win at this point and it's good to see them play like it. Holtby still makes me a little nervous with his rebound control, but you certainly can't argue with the results tonight. Vokun has to come back soon. Goalie controversy?

[SpringfieldSkins]

OK, so I have an awesome story.

My wife and I went to the game today. We decided, since it was a Sunday, that we'd go into DC early and grab some food and then some drinks. We got to DC at about 2 and headed to Fuddruckers for a quick bite to eat. After that we made our way to Clyde's (right next to Verizon). We sat at the bar for a while, seemed like we were one of the first groups of Caps fans to show up there. Before too long the bar started to fill up with Caps fans. I soon notice that one of the people to our left, sitting right next to my wife, is getting a decent amount of attention. Turns out that this guy is none other than Rod Langway. Dressed in a suit coat with a red caps shirt on underneath. We sat there for a while longer, as I didn't want to interrupt him even though he didn't seem to be with anyone. A couple people stopped by to say hello to him and he passed off some Caps tickets to some friends. Eventually I turned to him and said something along the lines of, "Hey, I'm a huge fan" and shook his hand. That was pretty much it as I didn't want to annoy him.

Some random guy came along to ask him about concussions in the NHL nowadays. I overheard the conversation. He seemed to think that it happen a lot back in his days but they (the NHL) just didn't pay a huge amount of attention to it. Nowadays, with the huge contracts, they need to protect their investments. Protecting against concussions is a lot about insurance on the huge contracts out there in the NHL according to Langway. I'd have to agree.

About 15 to 20 minutes prior to the game, Rod Langway paid his bar tab, got up, gave me a pat on the back and left just before we did. Good times. Made me as happy as a fat kid with cake.


Then the Caps won. Holtby is the real deal. I don't know why but I feel more confident with Holtby in goal than any other tender currently on the team. It's a shame that he probably won't play during the playoffs. Ovechkin looked good as always, Semin definitely set up the first goal to Chimera and our defense was playing on point.

Here's a pic from our seats:


Here's a video of Braden Holtby doing what he does. He shoots the water up in the air and watches it all the way down to the ice. He does it every time that the puck isn't in his zone during a break, without fail. Hopefully it works.
http://<object width="400" height="2...mbed></object>

---------- Post added March-25th-2012 at 09:49 PM ----------

Ok, so it didn't work. Any help on posting a facebook video to ES?

[HBnotBlades]

I'm a big fan of Holtby, he's still a bit raw, but I think he's more talented than either Neuvy or Varlamov.

I agree that he should get a shot at the starting job next year, I was hoping he'd get that chance this year.

[SKINS'n'Spurs]

Ovi is playing at top level again, the team as a whole seem to be giving more effort.


Holtby has been pretty sensational in goal despite his experience level. All I can say is Keep it up Boys !
If they play the next 6 games acting like they are all knock out playoff games (of which you could argue they almost are), Caps will be set to hold on to their 8th spot and perhaps could snag something a bit higher (FL's #1?).
Also, I think it's important to consider that some teams who have struggled in the regular season turn it on at the right time and crush in the playoffs. It definitely happens in hockey, but also in many other sports (the NYGiants come to mind) Could this be what the Caps are doing? We will have to wait and see, but I would take a long deep run in the Stanley Cup over a President's Cup winner any day at this point. We've been there done that. It's all about bringing The Cup to Washington now!

[More Complete]

OK, so I have an awesome story.

That was awesome! Sounds like a great time. Looks like some nice seats too! Thanks for sharing.

[pjfootballer]

i think when nicky first got injured this team was like how in the world are we gonna score? i think this team is gaining full confidence on offense finally

You know what else has been missing with Nick out? Puck possession. Backstrom is great at puck possession, especially on the PP. Maybe we'll see a difference when we're up 3-0 and he can possess the puck for us and kill time.

[Pick6]

Tonight we want to see the Jets win. The Caps are only 2 points out of the 7th seed. With a Senators loss tonight and a Caps win tomorrow, the Caps move to 7 and that much closer to overtaking the Panthers.

Any word on how Backstrom has looked during practice and a time table on him possible playing any of the final games?

[DCBnG21]

Loved that defensive play by OV; I think I must've watched it 15 times last night.

Making the playoffs won't be easy; although they certainly should be able to do it. As I said before - if we get in - having to bond together and work as a team to grind it into the playoffs is not a terrible thing for this team.

Semin's move on the Chimera goal last night was pretty sick as well. I hope it carries through into the playoffs, but we're starting to see glimmers of the sick offensive skills we used to have.

[kevinklein]

Maybe we should stop treating Alex Semin's departure like a foregone conclusion. There's a few reasons he might want to stay...

http://sickunbelievable.com/2012/goo...ares-about-dc/

[greenspandan]

Maybe we should stop treating Alex Semin's departure like a foregone conclusion. There's a few reasons he might want to stay...

so maybe he'd like to stay, but what possible reason is there to bother keeping him? he's got 18 goals. chimera and brouwer score as often as he does. seems like we can do better without really trying.

[kevinklein]

so maybe he'd like to stay, but what possible reason is there to bother keeping him? he's got 18 goals. chimera and brouwer score as often as he does. seems like we can do better without really trying.

His goal numbers may be down, but he's played immensely well under Hunter. His defensive game has improved, he stopped taking penalties, and with Backstrom and Green both gone he really stepped up, notching around 30 points in 30 games.

That's reason enough for me, if he takes a paycut.

[DCchillin89]

Any word on how Backstrom has looked during practice and a time table on him possible playing any of the final games?

Stayed after to take hits from Jay Beagle. Good sign. Still no timetable, but if I had to take a guess: Saturday vs. Canadiens or Monday at Tampa

---------- Post added March-26th-2012 at 02:35 PM ----------

That's reason enough for me, if he takes a paycut.

A HUGE paycut. 4 mil/year sounds about right, and he may not bite on that.