I flipped between OLN and Comcast for a while last night. Mostly I watched Caps-Isles... good God, the Islanders are terrible. They totally quit in the third period. Otherwise, the game was further proof that Alex Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby are Carmelo Anthony and LeBron James. Vech, like Melo, has been more stellar due to his instant offense, while Crosby, like LeBron, has survived on his passing.
And similar to the initial Bron/Melo debates, the Calder may be sewn up for Vech, but Crosby will probably become the better player. I'm obviously biased towards Vech, just because his size and hitting ability (he can really hit) could lead him to become a Keith Primeau-type defender, which would elevate him above the diminutive Crosby. But he'd need to resist the urge to follow the Jagr/Hull path before him, which I doubt will happen. But what else should he think? All of Washington's offense goes through Vech in one way or another.
It's funny to me that Vech IS the Caps' offense, and yet the only NHL player who has shown any ability to shut him down is P.J. Axelsson. For example, Vech's second goal last night (that's 41 on the year, kids) came after his teammates held the puck behind the goal line as long as they could, holding out until there was only one second left on the clock, then passed off to Vech, who knocked it home just before the final horn. The play (set up #8 for a last-second shot) was transparent to all, and must have been obvious to the Islanders, yet they still let him get it off. What gives? It's strange to me that teams don't just double-team him, and force guys like Matt Pettinger and Brooks Laich to beat them. Hell guys, make Dainius Zubrus beat you! He can't hit the broad side of an airplane hangar, let alone find the back of the net.
AAAANYWAY, I also watched the Flyers blow a 3-1 lead in the third, then win 5-4 in the shootout. Robert Esche did not look very good, though he did make some incredible saves. The overtime, however, was one of the most exciting OTs I've ever seen. Constant legit scoring chances... I believe the breakdown was 5-4 in Scoring Chances, as opposed to shots on goal, which means there were nine really good opportunities denied by Esche and Cristobal Huet... including two different unmarked (and unsuccessful) breakaways by Mike Richards of the Flyers, who not only blew those but also flubbed his shootout attempt. Young master Richards did not impress me, though he can certainly skate.
And similar to the initial Bron/Melo debates, the Calder may be sewn up for Vech, but Crosby will probably become the better player. I'm obviously biased towards Vech, just because his size and hitting ability (he can really hit) could lead him to become a Keith Primeau-type defender, which would elevate him above the diminutive Crosby. But he'd need to resist the urge to follow the Jagr/Hull path before him, which I doubt will happen. But what else should he think? All of Washington's offense goes through Vech in one way or another.
It's funny to me that Vech IS the Caps' offense, and yet the only NHL player who has shown any ability to shut him down is P.J. Axelsson. For example, Vech's second goal last night (that's 41 on the year, kids) came after his teammates held the puck behind the goal line as long as they could, holding out until there was only one second left on the clock, then passed off to Vech, who knocked it home just before the final horn. The play (set up #8 for a last-second shot) was transparent to all, and must have been obvious to the Islanders, yet they still let him get it off. What gives? It's strange to me that teams don't just double-team him, and force guys like Matt Pettinger and Brooks Laich to beat them. Hell guys, make Dainius Zubrus beat you! He can't hit the broad side of an airplane hangar, let alone find the back of the net.
AAAANYWAY, I also watched the Flyers blow a 3-1 lead in the third, then win 5-4 in the shootout. Robert Esche did not look very good, though he did make some incredible saves. The overtime, however, was one of the most exciting OTs I've ever seen. Constant legit scoring chances... I believe the breakdown was 5-4 in Scoring Chances, as opposed to shots on goal, which means there were nine really good opportunities denied by Esche and Cristobal Huet... including two different unmarked (and unsuccessful) breakaways by Mike Richards of the Flyers, who not only blew those but also flubbed his shootout attempt. Young master Richards did not impress me, though he can certainly skate.
posted by Jeff at
11:23 AM
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