It was an ugly day and the sign on the right speaks for itself. In their final preseason game of this year, first the Predators lulled the Capitals to sleep and then they pounced on their miscues. It was in all senses of the word a typical Barry Trotz choreographed execution of a defensively scripted game. It was exactly the kind of game the Capitals need to be able to win in the playoffs, but this isn't the playoffs and boy could you tell.
After the last preseason game Caps coach Bruce Boudreau intimated that the team was ready for the regular season and they were tired of the pre-season. Well, let's hope that was the issue today. Very few in Red Caps Sweaters had good, let alone noteworthy games. Nicklas Backstrom did not play and that meant that Matheiu Perrault got a lot of ice time between Ovechkin and Knuble, he was not able use it to his advantage in making a case for why he should be the second or third line center. Fortunately for Perrault, and unfortunately for us Caps fans, Tomas Fleischmann who played most of the game as the the second line center, put on an even less compelling display of hockey abilities today. I was hoping that because of the mediocre play by the first and second line centers, I might get to see a shift or two with David Steckel as the pivot between Ovechkin and Knuble but that was not to be. The energy line of King-Boyd Gordon-Bradley along with Ovechkin and Laich were really the only guys that didn't have mediocre or poor games. I hope that Mike Green and Jeff Schultz were using the last pre-season game to work on something, what I don't know but something; both made a couple of glaring faux paux.
Well after that game, I expect we'll see the final roster cuts by Tuesday at noon, along with some indication as to the health status of Varlamov, Carlson, and the rest of the roster.
Next up, the season opener in Atlanta on Friday Evening, followed by the Home Opener against the higher octane than last season Devils on Saturday.
I'm so glad that hockey is back in season.
LETS GO CAPS!!!
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment