Caps vs. Hurricanes 11-24-2007 Post-Mortem

Looks like they're starting to get it... Onto the Battle Damage Assessment...

THE GOOD:

• 3-4 on the Power Play with 5 shots on goal. If that isn't efficiency then I don't know what is. As a matter of fact, I think this is what everybody thought I our Power Play would be like when the season started. Hades, we've even seemed to have solved the problem of getting set up in the offensive zone.
• And speaking of the Power Play, 3 of the 5 goals Mike "BEAM ME UP" Green has scored this year have come on the Power Play. Bruce Boudreau deserves all kinds of kudos for putting him out there with the first unit and Glen Hanlon looks even more foolish for not using him on the Power Play.
• A much stronger finish to the game tonight than yesterday. A.O.'s second goal was a huge goal for the team and Boyd Gordon's shorthanded goal into the empty net was a pure hustle play that took advantage of a sloppy pull of the goaltender by Carolina.
• Of course Carolina didn't try to goon things up like the Flyers but the discipline was much better tonight as the Hurricanes were 0 for 3 tonight on the Power Play. Though I think some of that had to do with the bizarre game Chris Rooney and Paul Devorski called tonight.

THE BAD:

• Sure he had a goal (which was the game winner) and two assists all on the Power Play and was named the second star of the game, but Michael Nylander also had some very ugly turnovers (one of which lead to the Canes' first goal) and finished the game a -2. The turnovers are the most troubling part of his game tonight as he is known for his ability to keep the puck on his stick.
• It was a good thing the Power Play clicked early tonight because it bailed out a bad start by the Caps. Once the Caps had the lead, they settled into their game and kept things going well for the most part, but the start of the game was rather harrowing and it looked as if the Caps were reverting to form.
• The Caps gave up 37 shots tonight. While Olie Kolzig stopped 35 of them and didn't do too much standing on his head, that's way too many shots to be giving up.

THE UGLY:

• I think Olie would like to have that second Canes goal back. Once again Olie didn't look ready for the shot and on a couple of occasions looked to be badly out of position.
• What does Steve Eminger have to do to get into the lineup? Jeff "Sergeant" Schultz gets scratched but John Erskine Bowles gets into the lineup and trips over his own two feet when Carolina got on the board with Eric Cole's goal with 9 seconds left in the second period.

Tonight the Caps didn't blow the three goal lead despite coming very close to doing so. However they were able to pull away at the end and avoid giving up a point to a division rival. So it looks at least as if the Caps are learning and starting to move forward again now that Hanlon is gone. As for the Power Play, it isn't too hard to figure out what Boudreau has done to jump start the unit. He's moved A.O. to the top of the circles, has Nylander and Nicklas Backstrom playing down low/ the half wall. Tom Poti and Green are on the points and the Caps are looking to either set up A.O. somewhere in the circles or hit Poti and Green on backdoor cuts while Nylander and Backstrom quarterback the whole thing. Having two shooting options instead of just one is what we've needed all season on the Power Play. I don't expect many more 3-for-4 nights, but I think the unit has finally turned the corner. Let's hope the rest of the team follows.

It has been... A TWO POINT NIGHT!!!