Kyle Turris, Ottawa’s #1 centre, was hurt on a gruesome play:
Now, I know that there was nothing malicious about that, but the way that Cizikias dove right at Turris's legs to try to get to the puck really rubs me the wrong way. That was a completely reckless play that resulted in a predictable injury, and IMO that rises to the level of a suspendable offence.I don’t expect that the DoPS will even look twice at it though.
At least his knee seemed to mostly bend in the designed direction. The ankle not so much.
Caps challenge an OT GWG for offsides. I took over five minutes to get a ruling that the goal was good. I hate the coach’s challenge for offsides. I reluctantly accept it for interference. I do wonder why, if it is importent to get those calls right, the NHL only thinks it is important to get them right only once per game.
I am on the fence WRT the offsides challenge, but am firmly behind the interference challenge. It’s easy for the interference to be intentional, the offsides not so much. So, I think offsides is a more indirect offense.
Is it just me, or does the heavier emphasis on being able to play resulting in the remaining “fighting” players have more fights that are agreed to at the faceoff? I feel like the remaining fights have been of the “let’s change the mood of the game” type rather than the “I’m hunting you down in revenge” type.
Pascal Dupuis is retiring. (Well, it’s not officially a “retirement”, but he’s no longer going to be playing hockey)
Dupuis is one of my favorite players and I’m seriously going to miss seeing him on the ice. But your health always has to come first, and I can’t say I’m surprised by this. 
How is Zac Rinaldo still in the NHL?
Gary Bettman’s an idiot?
In other Penguins news, head coach Mike Johnston has been fired and replaced with Mike Sullivan. (While I’m not surprised he was fired, I’m shocked they did it so soon – I figured it wouldn’t be until the end of the season) Here’s hoping this will turn things around. Say what you will about Bylsma, but we were NEVER this bad under his leadership.
(For some reason, the official site isn’t loading today. Dammit!)
I think the last time the Penguins fired a coach in mid-season they went on to win the Cup.
When the Caps played the Pens in October, they lost 3-1 in a game that was a one-goal game with two minutes to play (empty net provided the final goal). Holtby only faced 24 shots. Last night it was 3-1 with eleven minutes to play and a late PPG provided the final score of 4-1. Holtby faced 45 shots.
Not sure if it was because I was there in person but the October game was better hockey.
Related: I have seen fans on some website claiming a moral victory for keeping Ovie off the score sheet. In previous years that would have hurt the Caps but so far, that just means that Oshie and Backstrom have less coverage.
On one hand, I did see us playing better than we have all season. On the other we lost. Granted, Washington is doing really, REALLY well this year, and I wasn’t expecting a complete turn-around overnight. But it’s still so frustrating. We’re not even in a playoff spot!!! It’s the middle of the season by now. 
I’m sick of hearing people calling to trade Crosby, or Malkin, though. C’mon, seriously.
I was (obviously) watching the Caps feed. They only showed the tail end of the Dupuis tribute but what I saw was nice. Did the Pittsburgh feed show it all?
Yes, including the standing ovation along with the Dupuis family.
And in other news, Fleury has a concussion. Fuck. He’s probably been the only bright spot this season.
Tortotella playing his power games again and sitting Ryan Johansen tonight as a healthy scratch. Tort’s act is wearing very thin .
Other teams should be more worried about keeping Jay Beagle off the score sheet. The Caps are something like 32-0-4 in their last 36 games when he registers a point.
It tends to with Torts. How he keeps getting jobs is beyond me.
Good weekend to be a Caps fan. Down 3-0 against Tampa Bay Friday and win 5-3. Down 3-1 against the Rangers last night and win 7-3.
Yes, it is early in the season still but I’m a Caps fan, we have to take our joy where ever we can find it. 
That’s remarkable.
Having said that, though, it seems to me mathematically likely that if you take any one player and look specifically at the games where he scored a point, his team will have an excellent record in those games. Maybe not 32-0-4, but way above how they usually do.
[QUOTE=Guinastasia]
Say what you will about Bylsma, but we were NEVER this bad under his leadership.
[/QUOTE]
And since firing Johnston they’ve gotten much worse.
Sidney Crosby, coach killer?
Want to take some joy in a silly place? Here you go: as of right now, a bit over 1/3 of the way through the season, the Caps are on pace, in terms of point percentage, to being the 10th best team of ALL TIME:
Yes, I know it’s completely silly. I’ll be the first to admit several of our games were won with luck on our side that we probably shouldn’t have won, and that luck will balance itself out over the rest of the season. I’m not actually expecting this to hold up. But like tim-n-va says, we long-suffering Caps fan take our joy where we can find it.
Pittsburgh hasn’t been as good a team as people thought for years. People see Crosby and Malkin and forget the fact that the team lacks truly elite class blueliners and has a goalie who’s average at best.
Sidney Crosby can’t make a mediocre team - and that’s what they are - a great one. Gretzky couldn’t do that.