Line change: Have the Capitals turned a corner?

If they get their PP working, then, technically they could be headed in the right direction.

The correct question is..are they going on the right street going in the correct direction before you can turn the corner

In 2006, Hunter was arrested and charged with DUI... last thing I want is a drunk coaching up the team. Not to mention his playoff record is not any better than Gabbys.

Posted by: _828

How does that make someone a raging drunk?? People get DUI's all the time who do not drink on a daily basis but made one stupid mistake and got caught. That is really a goofy argument on your part.

Can't judge this team until June - we shall see - the trends don't look good - Tuesday's game was a sloppy horrible game - they stole one.

One OT win against the lowly Islanders isn't what I would call "turning the corner". Let's see how they finish the season before we doom them just as the Washington sports media likes to do. You know, win 2 in a row and the team (Redskins, Caps, etc) are going all the way. Lose 2 in a row and the coach should be fired, blah, blah, blah. It's sickening.

tominsocal,

I was scanning through my satellite channels the other day and came across a channel that was airing a bunch of "best of the tonight show" episodes. They were an hour long each and two of them were nothing but the Great Malmac. My wife and I sat and laughed our butts off, those were classic.

Is anybody else concerned about Jacques Lamaire's statements about how bad of shape David Steckel is in? Do you think this is a team wide issue here in DC?

As long as #30 is in the net, we’ll be fine.

PhilR,
I just can't have that type of person as a coach... Need someone responsible.

As long as they make the playoffs nothing matters. I think we're going to see a completely different team round 1, game 1.

hart2014- Where did yo see Lemaire say that??!?!? Did i miss something?

If he did say that I think it would be very concerning...

the 2 game winning streak against an AHL team is hardly turning a corner, more like, avoiding a ditch backing out of the driveway.

They did get back to caps hockey. 60 minutes of hockey 2 minutes of trying.

@hart2014 and others. First he said that Stecks looked "out of shape or tired." Considering he just had to go to a new team, get new equipment he isn't used to, figure out where he is staying, and go practice with a new team for the first time. Yesterday Lemaire said "he looked better in the morning skate" as well so it was a one day thing. And don't tell me he got in shape in one day in NJ either. A non-issue getting blown out and taken out of context as well.

If you look at the standings, its very possible that we will get Pittsburgh in the first round, and probably sweep them. Following that we will get one another mediocre Eastern conference team, and probably beat them too. Then, in the conference finals when we finally face a legitimately good team we will get swept.

Then, Management/ownership will gloat incessantly about how "we made progress", and no house cleaning or evolution/growth will occur.

It seems to me that we are at a cross roads where we either choose to be the Lindros era Flyers, or cut out all the familiar friendly faces and hangers on, get serious and become the Red Wings.

"People get DUI's all the time who do not drink on a daily basis but made one stupid mistake and got caught." - PhilR

The stupid mistake is actually not having watched the movie "Tommy Boy", had they done that...no way they get a DUI.

BEEEEEEEEEEEES.....They're everywhere.

And am I the only one that wants to see that the team has become one and prove it by...wait for it...ALL SKIPPING THE MORNING SKATE AND RIDE BIKES INSTEAD. Spin class style. OMG the article Katie would write would be priceless, not to mention the responses from those that just cant seem to get it.

Wow my last post seems to be missing something. This is how it should have read.

@hart2014 and others. First he said that Stecks looked "out of shape or tired." Considering he just had to go to a new team, get new equipment he isn't used to, figure out where he is staying, and go practice with a new team for the first time it is very likly it was just being tired or even just being nervous and tight. Yesterday Lemaire said "he looked better in the morning skate" as well so it was a one day thing. And don't tell me he got in shape in one day in NJ either. A non-issue getting blown out and taken out of context as well.

Honestly the Isles aren't that bad. They remind me of the Caps Ovies rookie year. I've seen quite a few Isles games this year on MSG and they're giving allot of top teams fits...If not at least being just plain annoying.

Comments like Les Grossman's are the norm. The Capitals are always in a lose lose situation with some fans. He already found a way to complain if the Capitals advance to the Conference finals.

NO they have not turned the corner. they were less than a minute away from being blanked by a previously terrible goalie. Once they put together a string of 4 solid victories then you can ask that question again.

Proving that you aren't going to lose every game you play is not turning a corner. Even the two worst teams in the league win roughly one out of every three games they play.

Regarding the discussion of whether Jacques Lemaire said Steckel was "out of shape" here's a quote from Tom Guilitt's Fire and Ice (Devils) blog, discussing Zach Parise's return to skating after surgery:

"Given that Lemaire says everyone is out of shape, it’s inevitable that he’ll say Parise is out of shape—because he actually will be.

But, maybe Lemaire will do the opposite and say Parise looks like he’s in great shape.

Posted by TG on 03/03 at 02:05 PM"

So I don't think there's anything to worry about Caps conditioning, in general.

beeps-peeps = new thread

cappies
"Honestly the Isles aren't that bad. They remind me of the Caps Ovies rookie year."

the isles have missed close to 500 man games to injury and are on the 4th goalie. Half the islanders would be in the AHL or ECHL if not for the injuries. The caps had to come back 2 times in 2 games with caps 'world class talent'. This current caps team plays with no heart and no urgency. If the effort they keep putting forth continues into the playoffs, they will be playing golf before MAY 1.

'million dollar arm, five cent head'

Jacques Lemaire comments:

http://www.nj.com/devils/index.ssf/2011/03/david_steckel_admits_hell_be_n.html

I think he just misses "Arnie" and feels like he got the shaft in that trade.

I don't get all of the coaching love here for Hunter. He has won 0 Cups, and playing in 1 Finals. As a coach he had never coached above juniors and has won 1 championship in 9 years. BB won 1 in 8+ years in the AHL and won 1 in 3 years in the ECHL. I am not saying that BB is the best coach for this team but what this team needs is a leader who knows what it takes to win in the NHL, which is why we got Arnott two days ago. Hunter also has been suspended 3 times as a coach and fined another time. As a player not arguing what he ment to this team but as a coach I just don't see why he gets all the love he does on this message board.

hart2014 and dglelite - I saw/heard Lemaire's comments twice. After Steckel's first practice with NJD, Lemaire mentioned that Steckel wasn't in shape. Then, I heard his post game comments last night and again he mentioned that he wasn't in shape. I would like to know what BB thinks of this.

Too early to tell if they've turned the corner or not.

To me a credible turn around involves:

--consistency over a number of games
--At least two of their top 4 (especially Ovie) getting back to scoring on a regular basis
--increase percentage of PP success

A much lower 4 criterion is goalie health and consistency. Can we rely on the Neuvy-Varly duo without the rish of relying on someone like Tom Ford or whatever his name...?

icehammer: totally agree. Loved him as a player, not osld as a NHL coach. Can Patrick Roy be the goalie coach if Huntsie is the head coach??

@ SAOTI: The title of the article would be "No Capitals on Ice for Practice." And then the article would be "This morning's practice was not attended by any of the Capitals. More to come." Followed by a Line Change article "Where do you think all the Capitals were this morning?" And then an entire afternoon of posters blaming everything from the rise in gas prices to global warming to Boudreau, McPhee, and then Leonsis. But despite all the negativity they spew, they still are amused by the Capitals.

In 2006, Hunter was arrested and charged with DUI... last thing I want is a drunk coaching up the team. Not to mention his playoff record is not any better than Gabbys.

Posted by: _828

How does that make someone a raging drunk?? People get DUI's all the time who do not drink on a daily basis but made one stupid mistake and got caught. That is really a goofy argument on your part.

*************

Good point PhilR, getting a DUI doesn't define someone as a drunk, and for that matter, neither does urinitating in public. I've been cited for that numerous times, occasionally sober, I just enjoy doing it.

Frst let's all bless the Devils for defeating the Bolts last night.

Secondly, let's establish rules for whom to root for tonight. My picks are below and I hope Rhino approves. I followed THE rules:

Boston over Bolts is a no brainer

MINN over the Rangers

Toronto over Phily

Buffalo over Carolina

Ottawa over Atlanta

Florida over Montreal

Edmondon over CBJ & Nashville over

Vancouver but who cares

LA Kings over Phoenix but I would like them to both lose

Again, though no one cares, SJS over Detroit

left coast:
hanlons to blame for global warming BB is to blame for somali pirates. keep it straight!!

I'm sick of this. After every good game, everyone is like "did the Caps turn the corner?!" "Are we going to win games now?!" It's been a really inconsistent season. We beat the Islanders twice in a row and almost left the rink with no points both times. Ask that question after Monday night's game against Tampa.

The question itself ('have they turned a corner') assumes that things are not as they should be. What's really got me concerned is how much of each game seems to be played in our zone. It's tough to win when 2/3 of the game is being played inside your own blue line. This style of play demands excellence in the OT/shootout scenario. One OT win against the Islandaas doesn't erase months of futility. And it doesn't bode well come playoff time, when probably half or more of the games in each series could go beyond 3 periods. That's what a defensive oriented approach usually yields. And I just don't think the Caps have the personnel to play this kind of game with playoff teams who like this style of play and have the personnel who know how to win playing that way.

Too early to tell if they've turned the corner or not.

Posted by: BetterOffWithFedorov | March 3, 2011 1:56 PM |

Dead on. We have 17 games left, with 10 away. We have a grueling 6-game road stretch coming up in March, so we'll see.

@SportsEditors - the acquisitions are excellent and will definitely help. But they also have to be fully integrated. It's a critical time now and only this team - and it's various players and cliques - can determine how it will come out. A lot depends on how Arnott interacts with Semin, Ovechkin, and some of the other forwards. Wideman looks outstanding so far.

Joel Quenneville's been charged w/ DUI before.

Too early to tell - two lucky wins against the Isles are nothing to write home about. Let's see how they do on the road against FL and TB over the weekend before jumping to any conclusions. The star players (Ovechkin, Backstrom, Semin) still have not produced on a consistent basis and the new acquisitions won't solve those problems.

Are you kidding me?!?! We were within 45 seconds of being shut out AGAIN, this time by a basement dwelling lottery team. How on earth can we say all our troubles are over just because we managed an improbably win in the dying minutes of what should have been an easy game

Are you kidding me?!?! We were within 45 seconds of being shut out AGAIN, this time by a basement dwelling lottery team. How on earth can we say all our troubles are over just because we managed an improbably win in the dying minutes of what should have been an easy game

lol. who have they beaten recently?