Caps @ Flyers 12-20-2008 Post-Mortem

We wanted to turn this off, we tried to turn this off, we just couldn't look away... Onto the Battle Damage Assessment...

THE GOOD:

• The Caps had their forechecking game working for the most part today, especially in the third period.

THE BAD:

• If the team motto this year is "Good Is Not Good Enough" then the team cannot in any way shape or form be happy with that first period today. Tying a team record of 25 shots on goal in the period, the Caps not only came away with nothing, they were trailing 1-0 despite outshooting the Flyers 25-6.
• Normally we would praise the Power Play for getting 19 shots on goal , but considering that none of them went in and that the Power Play unit gave up a shorthanded goal, they once again get singled out for scorn for their 0 for 5 performance.
• The Penalty Killers weren't much better going 3 for 5.
• Down 7-1, late in a game in Philadelphia and Bruce Boudreau is still sending A.O. out there. Is Boudreau even thinking?

THE UGLY:

• You knew it was going to be a long day when Craig Laughlin came on the air wearing an orange tie today.
• Down 3-0 entering the third, Boudreau inserts Jose "Alvin, Simon," Theodore into the game, and the Caps get outshot 15-9 in the period. The only period they didn't outshoot the Flyers and didn't record double digits in shots. In other words, they quit.
• Mike "BEAM ME UP" Green was a -4 today.

Let's make one thing clear folks, the reassignment of Simeon Varlamov to Hershey is not the reason the Caps laid this gigantic egg today. While he might have kept the score a little closer than 3-0 heading in to the third period; he wouldn't have been able to bail out the pathetic performance that the Caps came up with in that period. You knew that as badly as the Flyers played in the first period that the Caps would have their work cut out for them in the second and third period and the Caps just faded as the game went on. For all the crowing over the 25 shots in the first period and 48 for the game; the Caps did not resemble a hungry hockey team today. We admit and tip our caps to Antero Nittymaki who played a great game but the Caps were not fighting for rebounds and took too many shots at distance against a hot goaltender today. In other words, they didn't make it too terribly difficult on Nittymaki. This game is a prime example for the "SHOOT THE PUCK!" crowd about the difference between quality and quantity. But streaks are like records, they're made to be broken and some streaks for the Caps came to an end today. We just need to move on and all that anger that came out in the third period needs to be taken out on the Rangers on Tuesday night.