Caps managed to hold on Sunday 3-2 to get their first win against the Sabres. Good win. Also, nice to see Ovi get his first goal off of a one timer on a PP. Give Robs some credit as he expected to see Ovi back at his more comfortable LW spot which was the case. I will say that Ovi looked a lot better in that game. He played with what appeared a lot more passion and enthusiasm. He looked to be skating much harder and played more like what Caps fans are accustomed to. Frankly, I thought the whole team looked much better.
Seemed like Sunday's win was a carry over from their play on Friday night in NJ against the Devils. Although suffering a 3-2 loss in OT, I thought they did look much better in that game. I also like getting Hamrlik out of there. Probably a good idea to take Poti out as well. While I like Poti, the guy is old and been out of hockey for two years. Not a huge fan of Schultz but I do like Erskine. Seems like Erskine brings a toughness and grittiness that the Caps need. Good for him in getting a goal on Sunday even though it was a fluky one at that.
I also like the shifting of lines. Thought MoJo was disappointing last year and he has been an even bigger disappointment this season. I like Ovi skating with Crabb and Beagle. Beagle and Crabb seem more like hard working gritty guys that can help get the puck to Ovi.
Couple of other notes:
1. Neuvy has played well and is deserving of the top spot right now over Holtby. I think Neuvy has been waiting for this opportunity and it's nice to see him step up to the challenge. He seems to be playing with a bit of a chip on his shoulder and really wants that #1 spot. He's been in the league a few years now and has always had to play second fiddle. He now seems primed to be the #1. Hopefully this is the case.
2. Backstrom needs to shoot. The guy is always looking to pass but he has a tremendous shot. He needs to use it more. He will overpass before shooting. He did take a shot on Sunday when I expected him to pass and he hit the post. The guy has to use that shot more.
Caps play tonight and hopefully can continue their stronger play. It's only been a couple of games where they have played well so can't get overly excited. A bad game tonight and we'll be back to square one. Hopefully the team is starting to gel and understand the system better and can pull out another win.
UNLEASH THE FURY!!!
2 comments:
I watched a lot of the last two games and I agree that they have looked much better.
They are still struggling to score, but at least they look like they have some energy.
My concern right now is that I'm still not sure where the goals are really going to come from. They need Ovechkin and Mike Green to do a lot - and we'll see if they can deliver - but they need 2 more guys to really emerge. Ribiero and Backstrom may be the ones to step up, but they may need to make an early trade to shake some things up. MoJo may be some good trade bait - he is young and has potential.
Agree. With the loss of Semin, someone has to step up and score.
Semin might have been a pain and divisive in the locker room for his uneven play but the guy had talent and a tremendous shot.
I believe the intent in bringing in Wolski was to offset the loss of Semin. I don't know a whole lot about Wolski other than he has been okay this season from what I've seen. He is a former top draft pick but has kind of bounced around from team to team. I think he is trying to find a home and with a one year contract has something to prove and the Caps are hoping he can prove it with them.
Ribeiro is more of a passer like Backstrom but these guys have to start shooting more. I also think guys like Carlson and Green will have to score more as they are being asked to make offensive overlaps so they will be in the offensie zone.
Getting Laich back (whenever that happens) will be a lift but we still need a bona fide goal scorer.
Will be interesting to see how things shake down as the team gets more settled into Oates' system and with each other.
Hopefully the goals will come.
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