Is Holtby a Stanley Cup contending goalie?

Despite being pulled after Calgary scored three goals in thirteen minutes against the Caps on Saturday, Braden Holtby is playing steadier in net than last season.  Oates didn't pull Holtby because of his play.  He wanted to spark the team.  Holtby fumed and jawed at his teammates as he skated off.  I've yet to hear what he said, but I'm sure he wasn't complementing his teammates on their pathetic defense.

Holtby, a fiery net minder, much like his current coach Olaf Kolzig, doesn't hesitate to let his teammates know when the way they're playing is unacceptable.    But, how does Holtby's play stack up, regardless of the Caps defensive play?  Is Holtby comfortable enough to play solid in net with a shaky defense in front of him?  Can he elevate his game to the place successful goalies must go to play effectively in the Stanley Cup playoffs and finals?

   
Read more here at thefarmclub.net.

Let's go Caps!

               

A sloooooooow start even with the one win

With the lackluster hockey they're playing (the Edmonton game was the exception), the Washington Capitals seem to have forgotten that they're playing in a more competitive division this season.  The Metropolitan Division with Pittsburgh, Carolina, NY Islanders, Columbus, New Jersey, NY Rangers and Philadelphia is tougher than playing Carolina, Florida, Winnipeg, and Tampa Bay.  The Caps sit in 7th place with 2 whopping points after five games.

They started slow last season under then rookie head coach Adam Oates, but they had the excuse that there was barely a training camp ahead of the strike shortened season.  This year they played decent hockey during training camp and preseason, but they've struggled to gain their footing since then.

Read more at the Farm Club.net 

Let's go Caps!

Zero expectations and first impressions

Let's start by saying I have zero expectations of the Washington Capitals this season for many reasons.  The Olympics helped to ruin the Caps season in 2010 with the Russian team's disastrous 6th place finish and the hangover Alex Ovechkin had as a result of that performance. It's hard to know what impact that will have this season , given that the spotlight on Ovie is even brighter, with him being a torch bearer and a member of the host country with big expectations for their hockey team.  (Side note:   I support the players playing in the Olympics even with the risk of injuries.)

Besides the Olympic distraction, I'm not convinced that this Caps team, like so many others in recent years, is tough enough to survive the slog through the playoffs.  There is a reason the Cup is known as the hardest trophy to win in sports.

The most important reason I have zero expectations is because the Caps record in the post-season is abysmal since the Ovie/young gun era began.  But, for whatever masochistic reason, I'm still a Caps fan and I'll continue to root for them.

This is the first full season, with training camp, for new head coach and hall of fame center, Adam Oates.  Oates cemented his relationship with his star player during a preseason trip to Moscow.  The expression, 'in Adam Oates we trust' is making the rounds of fan boards for good reason.  I'm a believer. The RPI graduate is clearly a studier of the game in a way few coaches are.  Geometry matters to him, stick curvature matters to him, individual coaching sessions matter to him.  These things are starting to show on the ice.

I remember reading about Oates saying he would start with the o-zone, then the neutral zone, then the d-zone to implement his system.  The offensive players showed flashes of brilliance, individually and as lines,  in the 6-4 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks.  There were far fewer perimeter shots than there used to be. The only negative for the offense was being out shot 18-6 in the 2nd period.  Ouch.

The #1 power play from last season continued its dominance and went 3 for 4.  The new center, Mikhail Grabovski, scored two of those and another goal for a hat trick.  He also had an assist.  Grabovski certainly looked impressive. 

The defense and goal tending were another story.  Connor Carrick needs to play hockey in Hershey.    The Caps have work to do on defense.

Braden Holtby played terribly in the first period.  He seemed distracted and off kilter after Jonathan Toews jostled him as he went behind him in the net on his way to setting up Patrick Kane for a goal in the first period.  He settled down and played better the rest of the way, but I'm not feeling all that confident with the Caps goal tending or its defense.

It's nice to have hockey back.

Let's go Caps!