Capitals Drop Ugly Game to Coyotes

With the exception of Alex Semin's sweet toe drag and pass to Laich for the goal, the Caps didn't look to good out there last night. Both goals against were a result of poor play in their own end. First, Sloan chips the puck up the boards right onto Jokinen's stick, and he whips it across the ice to Mikkel Boedker, who could have stopped for lunch with the time he had in the slot, and he buries it past Theodore. Then minutes later Shaone Morrisonn lets Peter Mueller cut in behind him and score the backdoor winner. Said Boudreau, "Two major mistakes, two point-blank shots and now you're fighting from behind."

While many people like seeing Fedorov on the blueline for the Caps, Japers' Rink breaks down exactly how he's helping the team with a rather good analogy.

Using Sergei Fedorov as a defenseman is like eating a bowl of Cinnamon Toast Crunch to freshen your breath - in a pinch, it's not the worst option imaginable, but it's a short-term solution at best and by no means ideal. Feds took a couple of penalties, at least one of which was the result of a bad first step, and his instincts as a defensemen simply aren't great. Still, he makes the best outlet passes the Caps have seen from the blueline in years.

So do you let stay and know he'll have a few defensive slip-ups a game, knowing that he is the best option back there to start the counter-attack? Or do you move him back up front? With the injuries to Poti and Erskine we won't know exactly what Boudreau wants to do with him, but when those guys come back healthy I'm sure Feds will be back up front.

Overall expectations have been high for this Capitals team. But if you look at the numbers, as The Peerless has, you'll see they're only playing marginally better through their first 7 games than last year's team. Their PP, PK, and goals for/against numbers are all better, but they've only managed one extra point with them. Says The Peerless;

The differences between last year and this are that, first, the club doesn’t need to have a change in philosophy to unleash their talent, and second, there isn’t the uncertainty surrounding the question of whether or not they’re good. But no team can just show up and get a win. Like we said, the Caps aren’t sneaking up on anyone this year, and the effort has to match the expectation. The hardest test of the road trip is perhaps to come – Dallas can be a suffocating team. The Caps certainly have the talent and depth to deal with that. But if they visit the Stars and skate a game like this, the question won’t be whether they win, but whether they score.

Tarik is saying that today's practice may be cut into simply a team meeting. Hopefully the Caps can talk it up and figure out what has been going wrong so far out west. And hopefully they can fix it. Because I really don't want to see them lose for the third straight time. It hasn't been good hockey to watch.

Joe Dumas 12:02 PM

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