Good win last night. The Caps have been nothing short of erratic as of late and it was a much needed emotional win last night against a divisional rival that has been climbing the rankings. The Caps were okay in the first period but lousy in the second managing only three shots in the second period, which closed with boos from the stands, a refrain growing more and more common.
Apparently Hunter, who doesn't speak much, tore into the team between periods and called out players by name and it obviously had an impact because the Caps came out on fire in the third. It was some of the best hockey all season. They dominated the period from start to end and peppered the TB goalie. They had a couple of great scoring opportunities but just didn't get the bounce. Eventually, MoJo slipped behind the defense and went 5 hole on the goalie for the equalizer with under 4 minutes remaining. Ovie finished it in OT and that was the end. It was a great win but it was only one win and it means nothing if we don't ride it moving forward.
The thing is the next 6 of 7 games are on the road and we have shown that we aren't that great on the road this season so it will be a true test. Hunter's lashing and the resulting play may be the turning point for this season. Hopefully the players continue to take what he said to heart and band together and go forward and not just let it fall by the wayside. With 15 games remaining and still several teams fighting for a playoff spot, every game will be critical.
LETS GO CAPS!!!
2 comments:
It is going to be tough, but they very well could get on a roll. The problem is that they have been so inconsistent all year that they could end up losing 7 in a row also.
If they get into the playoffs it is a whole new season and who knows what happens.
There isn't much doubt that this is an underachieving team. Hunter ripped into them yesterday and they responded. The question is if they can continue to take what he said to heart or if they just let it fade.
Strange because as inconsistent as they have played and sometimes just absolutely sucking, they still find themselves only one win out of the #3 seed. There are a number of teams in the hunt so every game will be critical.
Two of our final three games come against TB and FLA. Would be interesting to see if it came down those games.
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