F Street Faithful http://www.kuklaskorner.com/f_street/ en overtheboard@gmail.com Copyright 2013 2013-05-14T02:45:13+00:00 First Response http://kuklaskorner.com/f_street/comments/first-response http://kuklaskorner.com/f_street/comments/first-response Note: This post was written in complete and total anger.  It very well might be nothing more than the babbling of a mad man.  After I’ve cooled off, I’ll post a more levelheaded review. I don’t know why I let myself buy into this.  For 90% of the season, I firmly believed this team was not a Stanley Cup team.  When they made the move for Erat (don’t get me started on that again), I said it made no sense for a non-contender team to make that move.  And yet, here I am.  Sitting in complete disgust after they laid a massive egg against the Rangers in Game 7.  Disgust at the product I just saw on the ice and that I was dumb enough to buy it. Note: This post was written in complete and total anger.  It very well might be nothing more than the babbling of a mad man.  After I’ve cooled off, I’ll post a more levelheaded review.

I don’t know why I let myself buy into this.  For 90% of the season, I firmly believed this team was not a Stanley Cup team.  When they made the move for Erat (don’t get me started on that again), I said it made no sense for a non-contender team to make that move.  And yet, here I am.  Sitting in complete disgust after they laid a massive egg against the Rangers in Game 7.  Disgust at the product I just saw on the ice and that I was dumb enough to buy it.

Continue reading "First Response"

]]> 2013-05-14T02:45:13+00:00 Matthew Tate Old Habits Return in Loss http://kuklaskorner.com/f_street/comments/old-habits-return-in-loss http://kuklaskorner.com/f_street/comments/old-habits-return-in-loss Every Cap fan knew that we would see a different Ranger team now that the series has shifted to New York.  The Ranger offense had been so anemic that, logically, it could only improve.  The question would only be whether or not the Capitals could continue their defensive success.  The answer, as we learned last night, was not what we would have hoped. Prior to the game, Braden Holtby voices some of his concerns with the Capitals being “too loose” going into Game 3.  Ten minutes into the game, it seemed his concerns were unfounded.  The Caps had already killed off yet another Ranger power play and were already up 1-0 thanks to Nicklas Backstrom.  But then, the looseness seemed to arise.  And sure enough, Brian Boyle leveled the scoring as a Ranger power play expired.  A power play that the Caps had effectively limited. Every Cap fan knew that we would see a different Ranger team now that the series has shifted to New York.  The Ranger offense had been so anemic that, logically, it could only improve.  The question would only be whether or not the Capitals could continue their defensive success.  The answer, as we learned last night, was not what we would have hoped.

Prior to the game, Braden Holtby voices some of his concerns with the Capitals being “too loose” going into Game 3.  Ten minutes into the game, it seemed his concerns were unfounded.  The Caps had already killed off yet another Ranger power play and were already up 1-0 thanks to Nicklas Backstrom.  But then, the looseness seemed to arise.  And sure enough, Brian Boyle leveled the scoring as a Ranger power play expired.  A power play that the Caps had effectively limited.

Continue reading "Old Habits Return in Loss"

]]> 2013-05-07T16:23:12+00:00 Matthew Tate (3) Washington Capitals vs. (6) New York Rangers – Preview http://kuklaskorner.com/f_street/comments/3-washington-capitals-vs.-6-new-york-rangers-preview http://kuklaskorner.com/f_street/comments/3-washington-capitals-vs.-6-new-york-rangers-preview It just had to be the Rangers, didn’t it?  As if both teams had not had enough of each other over the past five playoffs.  It honestly does not feel like there are any story lines left to see play out.  We’ve seen rookie goalies stand on their heads (Varlamov and Holtby).  We’ve seen a team completely collapse in practically no time (Joel Ward double minor).  We’ve even had to answer the question of which team had the loudest fans.  Is there anything we haven’t seen?  I guess we’ll find out starting Thursday.  ON TO THE BREAKDOWN! It just had to be the Rangers, didn’t it?  As if both teams had not had enough of each other over the past five playoffs.  It honestly does not feel like there are any story lines left to see play out.  We’ve seen rookie goalies stand on their heads (Varlamov and Holtby).  We’ve seen a team completely collapse in practically no time (Joel Ward double minor).  We’ve even had to answer the question of which team had the loudest fans.  Is there anything we haven’t seen?  I guess we’ll find out starting Thursday.  ON TO THE BREAKDOWN!

Continue reading "(3) Washington Capitals vs. (6) New York Rangers – Preview"

]]> 2013-04-30T16:29:07+00:00 Matthew Tate Can the Caps keep Mike Ribeiro? http://kuklaskorner.com/f_street/comments/can-the-caps-keep-mike-ribeiro http://kuklaskorner.com/f_street/comments/can-the-caps-keep-mike-ribeiro Last night during the Washington/Toronto game, CSN Washington asked the viewers, as they do every game, to weigh in on a particular matter via Twitter.  The topic of the day was, essentially, what has been the biggest reason for the Caps’ surge over the past month.  While not every person tweeted the same thing, the overarching theme was the strong play of Alexander Ovechkin.  I can find no error with that reasoning.  Ovechkin’s recent discovery of old ways has certainly been the driving force to turn this season around. Last night during the Washington/Toronto game, CSN Washington asked the viewers, as they do every game, to weigh in on a particular matter via Twitter.  The topic of the day was, essentially, what has been the biggest reason for the Caps’ surge over the past month.  While not every person tweeted the same thing, the overarching theme was the strong play of Alexander Ovechkin.  I can find no error with that reasoning.  Ovechkin’s recent discovery of old ways has certainly been the driving force to turn this season around.

Continue reading "Can the Caps keep Mike Ribeiro?"

]]> 2013-04-17T17:23:19+00:00 Matthew Tate Caps Taking a Big Risk http://kuklaskorner.com/f_street/comments/caps-taking-a-big-risk http://kuklaskorner.com/f_street/comments/caps-taking-a-big-risk A few days ago, I was talking to a buddy of mine about the Caps’ chances during these last few weeks.  He remarked “This team is good, but if they had somebody like Erat, I’d say they are a solid cup contender.”  Now, a bunch of you are no doubt going to call me a liar, that nobody could have had that foresight.  And you’d be right.  Because this team is not a Martin Erat away from the Cup. In Martin Erat, the Caps will get a 31-year-old right winger.  This season, he has 4 goals and 17 assists over the span of 36 games.  Had this been a regular season, he would be looking at 7 or 8 goals at this point.  He is coming off a career year, where he scored 19 goals and 39 assists.  He has eclipsed the 50 point mark in 5 of the past 6 seasons.  They do also get Michael Latta, but I don’t expect anything from a guy with 184 PIMS in the AHL. A few days ago, I was talking to a buddy of mine about the Caps’ chances during these last few weeks.  He remarked “This team is good, but if they had somebody like Erat, I’d say they are a solid cup contender.”  Now, a bunch of you are no doubt going to call me a liar, that nobody could have had that foresight.  And you’d be right.  Because this team is not a Martin Erat away from the Cup.

In Martin Erat, the Caps will get a 31-year-old right winger.  This season, he has 4 goals and 17 assists over the span of 36 games.  Had this been a regular season, he would be looking at 7 or 8 goals at this point.  He is coming off a career year, where he scored 19 goals and 39 assists.  He has eclipsed the 50 point mark in 5 of the past 6 seasons.  They do also get Michael Latta, but I don’t expect anything from a guy with 184 PIMS in the AHL.

Continue reading "Caps Taking a Big Risk"

]]> 2013-04-03T21:58:24+00:00 Matthew Tate Laich Set to Make Debut http://kuklaskorner.com/f_street/comments/laich-set-to-make-debut http://kuklaskorner.com/f_street/comments/laich-set-to-make-debut A little over an hour ago, Washington Post’s Katie Carrera reported that Brooks Laich will make his debut tonight against the Pittsburgh Penguins.  Laich was injured while playing in Switzerland during the lockout and, in my opinion, has been a large missing piece in the team’s search for consistency. While Laich’s stats have been declining over the past couple of seasons (down to only 41 points last season), he has arguably been the most consistent performer over the past 4 years.  While I understand the team’s logic in handing the captaincy to Alex Ovechkin, I still feel that Brooks Laich would have been the better choice.  He typically logs heavy minutes on the both the powerplay and the penalty kill either as a pivot or on the wing. A little over an hour ago, Washington Post’s Katie Carrera reported that Brooks Laich will make his debut tonight against the Pittsburgh Penguins.  Laich was injured while playing in Switzerland during the lockout and, in my opinion, has been a large missing piece in the team’s search for consistency.

While Laich’s stats have been declining over the past couple of seasons (down to only 41 points last season), he has arguably been the most consistent performer over the past 4 years.  While I understand the team’s logic in handing the captaincy to Alex Ovechkin, I still feel that Brooks Laich would have been the better choice.  He typically logs heavy minutes on the both the powerplay and the penalty kill either as a pivot or on the wing.

Continue reading "Laich Set to Make Debut"

]]> 2013-03-19T17:19:31+00:00 Matthew Tate Team Comes First http://kuklaskorner.com/f_street/comments/team-comes-first http://kuklaskorner.com/f_street/comments/team-comes-first Last night, Mike Milbury had some not-so-nice things to say about Ovechkin.  While I personally think Milbury typically talks down about Ovechkin, this was different.  I usually end up zoning out half-way through because it’s usually the same old shtick that gets old after two or three hundred times.  I felt a little different listening to him this time.  It wasn’t a sense of agreement (though I’m not saying he was wrong).  It was a sense of total embarrassment. Over the past two seasons, I’ve always been the optimist with Ovechkin.  I was a firm believer that he would eventually rediscover his goal-scoring ways and would be back in the hunt for the Richard.  I guess in a lot of ways, I still think it will happen.  Yet, this was not why I was embarrassed listening to Milbury tear Ovechkin apart.  It’s quite simply because the guy being made the fool was a member of the Washington Capitals. Last night, Mike Milbury had some not-so-nice things to say about Ovechkin.  While I personally think Milbury typically talks down about Ovechkin, this was different.  I usually end up zoning out half-way through because it’s usually the same old shtick that gets old after two or three hundred times.  I felt a little different listening to him this time.  It wasn’t a sense of agreement (though I’m not saying he was wrong).  It was a sense of total embarrassment.

Over the past two seasons, I’ve always been the optimist with Ovechkin.  I was a firm believer that he would eventually rediscover his goal-scoring ways and would be back in the hunt for the Richard.  I guess in a lot of ways, I still think it will happen.  Yet, this was not why I was embarrassed listening to Milbury tear Ovechkin apart.  It’s quite simply because the guy being made the fool was a member of the Washington Capitals.

Continue reading "Team Comes First"

]]> 2013-02-28T18:09:51+00:00 Matthew Tate Lightning 6 Capitals 3 - Recap http://kuklaskorner.com/f_street/comments/lightning-6-capitals-3-recap http://kuklaskorner.com/f_street/comments/lightning-6-capitals-3-recap The other day, I noted that there were just too many new faces on this Caps’ team and not enough time for them to learn a new system.  Tonight, it seemed truer than I ever thought it was as they were doubled up by the Tampa Bay Lighting 6-3.  Let’s get to the notes and breakdown. Tampa Bay Goal: Eric Brewer (1) from Carle, St. Louis This was really unfortunate for the Caps.  They had carried the majority of the play up to this point.  It was even the first shot that Braden Holtby had to face.  Marcus Johansson gave Brewer way too much space as he sent a one-timer past Holtby’s glove.  He was partially screened by Pouliout, but it is one that he will probably want back. The other day, I noted that there were just too many new faces on this Caps’ team and not enough time for them to learn a new system.  Tonight, it seemed truer than I ever thought it was as they were doubled up by the Tampa Bay Lighting 6-3.  Let’s get to the notes and breakdown.

Tampa Bay Goal: Eric Brewer (1) from Carle, St. Louis

This was really unfortunate for the Caps.  They had carried the majority of the play up to this point.  It was even the first shot that Braden Holtby had to face.  Marcus Johansson gave Brewer way too much space as he sent a one-timer past Holtby’s glove.  He was partially screened by Pouliout, but it is one that he will probably want back.

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]]> 2013-01-20T16:16:36+00:00 Matthew Tate The Questions http://kuklaskorner.com/f_street/comments/the-questions http://kuklaskorner.com/f_street/comments/the-questions While I may have thought this day would never come, the Capitals are less than a week from opening the season down in Tampa Bay.  What begins that night is a sprint of 48 games to attempt to make the postseason.  There will be no time for elongated losing streaks or periods of uncertainty.  Any team looking for a shot to lift the cup will have to come out firing on all cylinders.  Those who stutter, will more than likely fall to the wayside.  This could spell disaster for a Capitals team that has more questions than answers at this point. Who is Adam Oates, the coach? Any fan who has been around since the 90’s can easily recall the incredible talent that was Adam Oates.  He was one of the most gifted playmakers of his time.  He is now a hall of famer.  That’s Adam Oates, the player.  We honestly don’t know what he is like as a coach.  This is his first shot to lead a team solo.  Given his offensive successes with the Devils and Lightning, he figures to be more offensive than Dale Hunter, but is he is extreme as Boudreau was?  As a player, he was able to hold his own on the defensive side of the game, but he hasn’t been responsible for running a blueline before.  Aside for strategy, how does he handle a dressing room?  Is he capable of spurring a third-period comeback?  If the problem with Boudreau did have to do with Ovechkin, can Oates handle him?  He is given a lot of credit of turning around Kovalchuk’s career, so hopefully he can rejuvenate Ovechkin’s goal numbers. While I may have thought this day would never come, the Capitals are less than a week from opening the season down in Tampa Bay.  What begins that night is a sprint of 48 games to attempt to make the postseason.  There will be no time for elongated losing streaks or periods of uncertainty.  Any team looking for a shot to lift the cup will have to come out firing on all cylinders.  Those who stutter, will more than likely fall to the wayside.  This could spell disaster for a Capitals team that has more questions than answers at this point.

Who is Adam Oates, the coach?

Any fan who has been around since the 90’s can easily recall the incredible talent that was Adam Oates.  He was one of the most gifted playmakers of his time.  He is now a hall of famer.  That’s Adam Oates, the player.  We honestly don’t know what he is like as a coach.  This is his first shot to lead a team solo.  Given his offensive successes with the Devils and Lightning, he figures to be more offensive than Dale Hunter, but is he is extreme as Boudreau was?  As a player, he was able to hold his own on the defensive side of the game, but he hasn’t been responsible for running a blueline before. 

Aside for strategy, how does he handle a dressing room?  Is he capable of spurring a third-period comeback?  If the problem with Boudreau did have to do with Ovechkin, can Oates handle him?  He is given a lot of credit of turning around Kovalchuk’s career, so hopefully he can rejuvenate Ovechkin’s goal numbers.

Continue reading "The Questions"

]]> 2013-01-14T17:50:55+00:00 Matthew Tate Lockout in Hype Town http://kuklaskorner.com/f_street/comments/lockout_in_hype_town http://kuklaskorner.com/f_street/comments/lockout_in_hype_town It should not be a surprise to anyone that a lockout is undesirable outcome from these CBA talks.  Players want to play; owners want to sell tickets; we fans want to see our team, or any team.  When lockouts happen, nobody wins.  And yet, not everybody loses the same.  Obviously, there are teams in small markets, Phoenix, Columbus being the obvious chooses, that struggle to succeed financially when there is a season, but lockouts can also take stable teams back years. It should not be a surprise to anyone that a lockout is undesirable outcome from these CBA talks.  Players want to play; owners want to sell tickets; we fans want to see our team, or any team.  When lockouts happen, nobody wins.  And yet, not everybody loses the same.  Obviously, there are teams in small markets, Phoenix, Columbus being the obvious chooses, that struggle to succeed financially when there is a season, but lockouts can also take stable teams back years.

Continue reading "Lockout in Hype Town"

]]> 2012-08-24T19:21:02+00:00 Matthew Tate