Caps @ Canes 11-9-2006 Post-Mortem

So much for the goaltending controversy.....

THE BAD:

• The Caps didn't move their feet much in any zone of the ice tonight. Too much standing around.
• How the Caps got 20 shots on goal is a bit of a mystery to me. I didn't think they generated that much offense.
• The only sustained offense the Caps got going was on their extended 5-on-3 in the second period which they obviously did not score on. Usually the Caps use a 5-on-3 to jump start their offense, that wasn't the case tonight. The other offensive flurries early on lead to odd man rushes headed the other way, the first of which the Canes scored on.
• In addition to being shutout, the Caps didn't help themselves by giving up 7 Power Plays.

THE UGLY:

• The Caps gave up 39 shots and Brent Johnson faced 17 of them in the third period when he gave up three goals and came up with no big saves.
• The only statistical categories the Caps led in tonight were hits (14-10) and takeaways (15-8). You could also say that they "won" the giveaway category (6-7) but they only did that by one.
• John Erskine was called up to replace Jamie "Home Run" Heward who was injured. After a good first period he proceeded to stink up the joint. Expect another seven page thread bestowing the virtues of his first period from the denizens of Darwin's Waiting Room in spite of the -2 and nutmegging he took on the Letowski goal in the third period.

With all the high praise coming down on the Caps and talk of high confidence coming from the players themselves, you knew that a game like tonights was going to come around sooner rather than later. Personally, I thought it would be later. The Caps are not a team that can afford to coast or cruise and expect to be able to turn it on when needed and get the job done. That may work against the likes of Ottawa who are blowing leads left and right, but Carolina looks to be shaking off their Cup hangover and it was the Caps who got hung-over tonight.