SaucyJack

Caps will likely rue not gaining a 3-1 edge going into the 3rd.

Carlson finishes 2nd in his sprint heat there.  The box, his consolation prize.

Looked like a World Football VAR review.  They analyze offside calls to millimeters there too.

At least 3 of Dylan Strome’s 5 goals this year, including that last one, are thanks to the Invisibility Cloak he uses so well.

That is, hang out on the right side, near net, in the clear unseen by the opponents, receive the pass unimpeded, bat in a short-shot goal.

As long as the League allows it, it’s been working for him.

Wild have taken the last three against Washington by a combined 14-6 score.  And won a shootout in the game before that.

Now that Coach Cran has gotten one semi-decent win & comeback under the squad’s belt, what now?  Can it continue?

Tonight is a test:  Minnesota Wild, in DC Chinatown.  They have kicked our aces the past two seasons here and there.

The bigger test:  overcoming what must be a many-years long phobia for the veteran Caps:  having to play home games with confidence.  This squad which can play well on the road have to be amongst the Suckiest on home ice.  Gotta have worn on their psyches going home to wife of girlfriend year after year saying yeah maybe we think too much here at home gawd it sucks…

So, 9 of the next 11, starting tonight and ending the night after American Thanksgiving, are at home.  Ouch.  
 

 (Then things get more comfortable for the Caps, playing 9 of 11 on the road where they can play without the pressures and phobias until Holiday Time gives them an even mix of home and road.)

23 hours ago, radoran said:

There really aren't any other Canadian cities that can support an actual NHL team.

An ex-member used to tout Toronto ‘burb Markham.  Like Metro New York with 3  teams, why couldn’t Metro Toronto support a ‘mere’ 2 ?

All’s well that ends well, Mama Shepard!

Best result of the year for Washington.  First lead (!) of the young year; took ‘em six games lol ‘bout time.  First regulation win.  First win for the ‘tending rookie despite a rocky middle game.

Will Coach Cranberry earn a better nickname, say, The Miracle Worker?  Let’s see…

29 minutes ago, TropicalFruitGirl26 said:

NJ offense just sliced through them like they weren't even there!

Like butta!  I am verklempt!

(Apologies to Mike Myers.)

“Rookie” in goal for Washington tonight in New Jersey, one Hunter Shepard.  
 

Not your typical rookie, though.  Is somewhat successfully experienced:

1 - is 27 years old for starters

2 - two NCAA titles (Minn-Duluth) as a kid

3 - won Calder Cup in Hershey

The only NHL game tonight; potential many eyes on him.  “No pressure!”

Too bad his 1st of the year was essentially a Garbage Time Goal.  (Caps bad enough that late 2nd period can mean Game Over Already.)

As the lead off tilt in NHL 2023 Frozen  Frenzy night, with a half-hour start with no other games yet started, Washington fails to Seize The Day during this opportunity of undivided viewer attention.  Esp on the early PP where #8 nullifies a tally per goalie interference.

Would have been nice to succeed early on the unique night.  But no.  They quite stanky.

At least Ovie’s meaningless tally got Washington’s first PP tally of 2023.  St Louis also got one in their loss in Winnipeg, so now all 32 teams have scored with the man advantage.  FWIW.

P.S. Ovie’s early 2nd frame penalty shot failure didn’t help either.  He’s not been very good on breakaways for quite some time.

Frozen Frenzy tomorrow (Tues) - will North America embrace the full slate, with different puck drop times for all?

I think the NHL realized the scheduling problems of holding it on NBA opening night, and directly against a potential NLCS Game Seven.  Only two hoops games on Tues, a ton on Wed, and the odds of any LCS going 7 is less than 50% by a good margin.  (But it looks like The Snakes will in fact force it, thus stealing NHL Thunder tomorrow.)

Thursday would have been better: only two NBA tilts, and no chance of MLB conflict, since World Series starts Friday.

I read that there are 35 NHL refs and 35 linesmen.  It will be a lonely wistful night for the 6 officials not assigned to a game.

2 hours ago, TropicalFruitGirl26 said:

for Floridians, the True North is the Georgia border

I thought Florida geography & culture went “the higher north you go, the farther south you get.”

Nice that Bedard snags the Hawks first home goal of the season.  Don’t give this kid an open shot from the slot.

My dinner responsibilities for my elderly now complete, I am going to watch the Caps-Habs 3rd, possibly report…so that you don’t have to (watch)…

REPORT:  First Ovie, then Kuzy, make fine plays to find puck magnet Dylan Strome alone on the right side near net, to tie up what was an 0-2 deficit with 9 minutes to go.  And did so despite taking waaaay too many 3rd period penalties.  It was good enough to snare the NHL’s patented* everyone’s-sort-of-a-winner-at-least-half-a-game standings point.
 

*I’m surely wrong here, I’ll bet the old journeyman IHL holds the patent.  Expired probably.

10 hours ago, TropicalFruitGirl26 said:

Young Hawks players.....you guys look fired up, not afraid of the big bad Avs, I can commend that.
But Colorado has put a big muzzle on your offensive output!

I doubt this will bother The Faithful when they finally get to see Their Sweet Boy in his ChiTown home opener debut Saturday night.  And 2-3 ain’t awful for a 5-game tour.

The End of the season Beginning can be declared Saturday night…last home openers (CHI, ARI) and last road openers (CLB, NYI).

Two consecutive games (CGY, @OTT) with zero shots on goal by the Ovinator.

First time this has happened in his career.

Breaking up the Slow Line (Ovi-Backs-Oshie) sure provided dividends in Ottawa last night eh.  

Were Phillips to now fade, be sent down to Hershey, struggle a few more years, and retire early to start life over at, say, 27 years old…

…then what Magic last night to score your only-ever NHL goal against your original  Mama Bear team.  At age 25.  
 

Make a movie, laugh or cry not sure which.

Or, he makes a real career in Washington.  Nobody knows yet.
 

 I went dooown, to the Crossroads;

   Fell down on my knees.

Went down to that Crossroads;

   Fell down to my knees.

Asked the Lord for Mercy,

   “Save me if you please.”

So, who picked all 5’8” of young Calgary native son Matthew Phillips to score Washington’s 1st tally of the season?  And to do so against the only NHL team he’d ever played for (3 games total that’s it) before this season, his hometown Flames?

And, to assist on the Caps’ second goal of the season?  And to have been the subject of a WaPo Sports feature article writeup just this morning?

“You can’t make this stuff up.” : David Letterman

I’m waiting on the league to officially grant Ovie an assist on the first Penguins goal Friday night.

Only one game played, a 4-0 home loss with few shots or chances.  So, I think we already know the answer to the thread question:

umm…no, dude.

Welcome to NHL head coaching, Mr Cranberry.  

893 behind Gretzky.

Hey not too bad of a stretch…uni numbers only off by one, and apparently both very dangerous on the wraparound!

On 10/8/2023 at 6:05 PM, SaucyJack said:

The one below confirms he did well on his earlier preseason chances.  We’ll know by late afternoon Monday if he starts in Washington or Hershey. 

Per the team’s announcement of the Friday night opener roster, Miroshnichenko is Hershey-bound.  
 

For now.  

And one of the roster forwards will be a healthy scratch.  We’ll see if two forwards disappoint (say, Mantha for starters) resulting in a call-up.

I was rooting more than average, as a neutral, in 1993 for Melrose and Gretzky  but Montreal was just unconscious in overtime wins that year.   Took the Kings 19 more years to grab a Cup.  I fondly recall a short road trip I made then, where I ended up in the wilds of Eastern  Kentucky and a trailer as a hotel room in a place called Pikeville, not exactly Hockey Country but was still able to watch them lose one of those OT heartbreakers in Montreal.

I always enjoyed Melrose in the studio with his constant laugh and references to his tiny Kelvington SK home town.  After ESPN lost the NHL broadcast contract after 2004, it struck me as very loyal of him to stay with them as their hockey expert, giving up the chance for a more visible role on the new Versus network.  (Which later became NBC Sports Network.)

It’s a shame that the schedule makers couldn’t have Bedard’s NHL debut be at United Center in Sweet Home Chicago.

Road Show Pittsburgh instead.  Boo!  Oh well they still excited in the City of Broad Shoulders.

On 10/6/2023 at 12:18 PM, Podein25 said:

Yup. This guy, he's Ovechkin like in all kinds of ways, including a wicked shot. All world skills.

Per the Caps Fan site below, I learn that    Miroshnichenko didn’t play either preseason match against Columbus, so wasn’t mentioned in the WaPo beat article I referred to earlier.

The one below confirms he did well on his earlier preseason chances.  We’ll know by late afternoon Monday if he starts in Washington or Hershey. 
 

https://russianmachineneverbreaks.com/2023/10/08/ivan-miroshnichenko-decision-time-washington-capitals-hershey-bears/