For once, Ken’s right.  However, it’s not a revelation he’s stating.

The Caps defense still is just not very good. They don’t skate well, and they don’t manage the puck well either.  They have the exact same problem as Columbus blueline, quite frankly.  Neither defends well or skates well.

I still don’t think the Caps can win anything (save for their lame division) with that defense.

Posted by Primis on 02/08/10 at 12:40 PM ET

i dont think they could win anything long-term without Ovechkin either. the wuss bags and role players they have to fill the gaps if he was missing arent good enough. the goaltending is iffy and like the article says - the D sucks. but we knew that last year and it really shined in the playoffs when they couldnt move the puck out of their zone worth crap and made horrible decisions… kind of like what Brad Stuart did for the Wings in game 7. so Wings fans can relate.

Posted by Death Metal Nightmare from MKE on 02/08/10 at 12:53 PM ET

The Caps are 14th in the league in goals against per game.  They give up less than Ottawa and Pittsburgh, for example.  They also give up less less than the two finalists, Pittsburgh and Detroit, did last year.

But don’t let facts get in your way, Ken.

Posted by SAB from Los Angeles on 02/08/10 at 01:00 PM ET

I am not sure I agree.  Yes, their d sucks, but they have enough offensive firepower to win 14 games in a row.  They also seem to have enough firepower to win when it counts.  Fat Teddy and Fat Bruce have shown the entire league that you do not need defense to win in the NHL.  It is almost as if the Capitals have five forwards on the ice and just dare the opposing d-man to make a mistake.  It is not just the d-men that are bad, it is also the forwards ‘cherry picking’ throughout the game.  Look at OV’s first goal.  He is actually behind the pens d-man (eaton) while the puck is deep in the Capitals zone.  A normal coach would bench a player for that style of play, but Fat B not only permits it but rewards it. 

To say it will not work is to say it is not working, and that is wrong… it is working and it will work.

Posted by gretzky_to_lemieux on 02/08/10 at 01:06 PM ET

To say it will not work is to say it is not working, and that is wrong… it is working and it will work.

Posted by gretzky_to_lemieux

I’ll have to disagree with content (and the logic is dodgy). Something working in the regular season isn’t guaranteed to work in the playoffs. Yesterday’s Capitals looked a lot like the playoff Capitals and I doubt that’ll do.

Then again, Pittsburgh also have a few question marks that needs to be resolved.

Posted by Moq from Denmark on 02/08/10 at 01:38 PM ET

If they do make a trade for Thomas they’ll probably have to give up more than just a draft pick. Most likely a good player on their roster. Then the whole chemistry thing comes into play. If it ain’t broke don’t/why fix it?
—————————————————————————————————————————————————————-
Yes, their d sucks, but they have enough offensive firepower to win 14 games in a row. 

True, but the playoffs are a totally different situation. Scoring will be down in the playoffs which makes the margin for era smaller. And when you play the same team game after game it gets a lot more intense and intensity usually helps defensive play.So we’ll see how they respond in the SCP.
Having said that, this looks like the best offensive team since the Red Wings of the mid 90’s or even the Penguins of the early 90’s. And they might just score their way to the Cup.

Posted by Lindas1st from New England on 02/08/10 at 01:44 PM ET

There are two things that the Caps could do immediately that would improve their defense immensely:

1. Never give a jersey to Tyler Sloan again.  He skates well, but his positioning is suspect and he doesn’t make great passes in his own end.  His lack of patience during a controlled breakout on Sunday led to a turnover that directly resulted in Sidney Crosby’s first goal.

2. Call up Karl Alzner and keep him on the team.  The Caps have more than enough cap space to make this work.  He’s a better skater, a better passer, and more sound positionally all around than Sloan, and he can play enough minutes as a bottom-6 defenseman to bring his game up to an NHL level.  Plus, the kid is only 21; he still has tremendous upside.

Posted by Bradford on 02/08/10 at 02:02 PM ET

We Pens fans don’t have much room to talk, considering how their defense is playing, but I saw some of the same defensive lapses early in the game from the Caps….

I will admit that overall their defense has improved some….

The question now will be whether it’s good enough to beat a good team (not any of their lousy division opponents) in a 7-game series….

But if McPhee is smart, he should join Shero and grab another D-man at the trade deadline….

Posted by Tony from Virginia Beach, VA on 02/08/10 at 02:27 PM ET

“The Capitals win games by sheer tour de force...”

Looks like ol’ Ken needs a dictionary.

Posted by kushiro on 02/08/10 at 02:41 PM ET

” “The Capitals win games by sheer tour de force…”

Posted by kushiro on 02/08/10 at 02:41 PM ET “

How so? I don’t understand your comment. Seems to make sense to me.

Main Entry: tour de force
Pronunciation: \ˌtu̇r-də-ˈfȯrs\
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): plural tours de force \same\
Etymology: French
Date: 1802
: a feat or display of strength, skill, or ingenuity <“the movie is a comic tour de force”>

Posted by Nathan from BC on 02/08/10 at 02:47 PM ET

Nathan,

While I agree that the definition you quote does include a reference to strength, the term “tour de force” is most appropriately used to describe achievements made through skill or artistry.  However, Campbell was arguing that the Caps win by simply overpowering their opponents.  That’s not “tour de force”.  Really, he should just write that they win by “force”, a term that actually means what he wants to say. 

By way of illustration, a Muhammad Ali victory, achieved through strategy, pace, power and speed, was a tour de force.  George Foreman’s were (usually) won merely “by force” (and, yes, stamina).

Further, “tour de force” isn’t used in the way, grammatically, that Campbell did.  You might say, “his victory was a real tour de force”, but not “he won by tour de force”. 

Yeah, I know, what does it matter what words he uses as long as we know what he means?  None, I guess, but it helps the reader understand what writers mean when they avoid using words that mean something different from (or even opposite to) what they’re trying to express.

I guess I was wrong to suggest a dictionary.  What I should have said is that he needs a dictionary of usage, or a learner’s dictionary (which I recommend to anyone wanting to be sure that what they say is what they mean).

I don’t really think it’s particularly offensive in this case (hey, everybody makes mistakes).  I was trying to be kind of lighthearted in the comment.  He’s nowhere near as bad as Pierre McGuire, who tries so hard in his attempts to sound intelligent by using “big words”, but usually comes off either pretentious (when he uses them correctly but unnecessarily) or just ignorant (when he uses them incorrectly).  Example: puck distribution.  It’s impossible to distribute the puck.  Just call it a pass, for crying out loud.

It’s weird how often comments about irritating sports media habits eventually come around to McGuire.

Posted by kushiro on 02/08/10 at 03:29 PM ET

i love how the pens fans say how bad the caps are defensively which. If I recall right we took them to a game seven last year and have beat them twice this year in playoff type games, according to crosby. While I agree we need to tighten up, it is hard to stay focused when we are up 4-1 all the time.

Posted by jbooth from az on 02/09/10 at 01:54 AM ET