Laich, Knuble, Alzner, Chimera, Ovechkin talk to media after the loss to Sabres 1:5
Ovi crushes Sabres' Brennan
Ovi's stats:
-4, total ice time 19:49, 22 shifts, average 00:54, PP 03:22, even 16:27, 2 ahots on goal, 1 missed, 2 hits, 1 giveaway
The three previous times Ovechkin finished as a minus-4 came on Nov. 20, 2008 at Los Angeles, Dec. 8, 2006 against Anaheim and Oct. 5, 2006 at the New York Rangers.
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~Caps GM George McPhee
~Gordie Howe
“He’s amazing. There aren’t enough words in English or Russian to describe him.”
~Chris Drury
"He's like the shark in Jaws, circling in the water waiting for blood. They should play that music from the movie – da-duh, da-duh, da-duh - when he's out on a shift. He doesn't just go after loose pucks, he hunts them down."
~John Davidson, President of Hockey Operations for the St. Louis Blues.
Keep the faith, TJ, and keep up the good work.
Thank you, Alex Ovetjkin, for killing this ridiculous storyline with this post.
~Mike Prada, Sr. Editor, SB Nation
Blog o Alexovi, psaný anglicky, je vážně kvalitní a aktuální
Just wanted to thank you for posting my book on your blog, which I consulted a fair bit while researching and writing the book. In particular, the comprehensive list of links on alexovetjkin.blogspot.com is the best library on Ovechkin material available anywhere.
Regards,
Geoffrey Lansdell
11 comments:
Alan May described the Caps performance as "inexcusable" and "pathetic" and I agree 100%. For the second consecutive week they played an undermanned team and s**t the bed both times.
There's a lot of blame to go around. With a few exceptions such as Chimera and Alzner, the Caps played listless, lifeless, uncaring & unfocused.
This has to be one of the worst games ever for the Caps as a team and Ovie in particular. He was on the ice for all 5 Sabres goals, and "only" finished -4 because the last Sabres goal was shorthanded, which is actually worse because the Caps were on the frakkin' POWER PLAY.
Bottom line, this was a total waste of 2 1/2 hours of my precious time. It's time for the players and coaches to decide where to go next. Getting on the same page is a good place to start.
Looks like there is a division among the coaches and about half the players (including Ovie)...something is up with the team and a change needs to take place before anything is going to improve with their play
@hockeyfan8: I sense a divided locker room too, which is very troubling. IMO part of the problem is Boudreau has taken a tough approach with the players this season after years of being very lax. You can start off strict and then ease up on the discipline but you can't do the reverse. You can't start out with little or no accountability and then try to impose discipline. It won't work.
Add to that Boudreau's switch from a defense first system last year to a "hybrid" system this year, the constant line juggling, mixing up his defense pairs, screwing up the power play, etc, and the result is a game like yesterday's.
The players look lost and confused, and Ovie is the most noticeable of the group. I think back to a practice I attended last month when he audibly called out a couple of times, asking whether he should play offense or defense. He and his teammates seemingly have forgotten how to play hockey, or they've forgotten how to ENJOY playing hockey with all the changes and adjustments that have been made. They are desperately in search of an identity, and IMO not even Boudreau knows what that is anymore.
It's truly a "dark period" for the team right now. Especially for Ovi and Semin. I hurt for them, as well as the team. I almost feel like I'm reliving the struggles of my first born when watching them (and she's about their age).
While players need to be disciplined to some degree in order to achieve milestones, sometimes concentrating on discipline at the expense of everything else can become counterproductive.
I'm hating to see the efforts of a few wasted.
If McPhee decides to fire Boudreau, I wonder how Ovie and the other guys will feel if McPhee decides to hire Thierren.
Bench Ovie for the homestand. he is just standing around. Let him decide if he wants to play.
It is crazy to say fire BB with a 667 winning pct, but i am saying it. fire him if they do not win 2 of 3 on this homestand
@BobbyG
You actually have the plus minus wrong. Yes, Ovi was out on the PP when they scored short-handed, but he received one of his minuses for that. He WASN'T out there for one regular Sabres goal--that's why he was a minus 4 and not a minus 5.
Ovi would not get a plus if he was out for a PP goal for the Caps (just like the Sabres would not have gotten a minus in that situation). But when a goal is scored short-handed, then both sides get the pluses and minuses.
@D: thanks for the clarification. Ovie was out for 3 of the 4 even strength goals by the Sabres, not all 4.. Somehow I draw little comfort in that. :(
Shoot, I'm the previous Anonymous, forgot to ID myself. I must be catching what ails the Caps.
And...I still think getting a minus giving up a goal while on the power play is worse than getting a minus at even strength.
@BobbyG,
Agreed on the short-handed goal being worse. Maybe they should give out 2 minuses in that situation!
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