Is it time for the Capitals GM to hit the panic button in Washington?
Some hockey thoughts from an analyst as we head into another weekend of fun and games:
I picked the (bleeping) Washington Capitals to win the (bleeping) Stanley Cup this season, but lately they have looked like (bleep) and I'm a little concerned about my pick.
Oh, the Capitals may still win the (bleeping) Cup, but I'm not so sure about their (bleeping) coach Bruce Boudreau when the (bleeping) playoffs arrive. Not that I am suggesting he should lose his job, but you have to think that after seven straight (bleeping) losses, things just might be getting tense in the U.S. capital.
The good news is even with all those losses, the Capitals are still second in the Eastern Conference and rank fourth overall. That, plus the fact the Philadelphia Flyers made it to the final after only qualifying for the playoffs on the last day of the regular season last year, is reason enough not to press the panic button.
However, the team's goaltending is a concern no matter how much management insists it is happy with Semyon Varlamov and Michal Neuvirth and you really have to wonder when exactly Alexander Ovechkin is going to kick it into gear. Ovechkin ranks seventh in NHL scoring with 12 goals and 36 points in 33 games, but hasn't had the spark that normally accompanies his magical game.
Looking at the Capitals roster, it is easy to think this team should be running away with the East, but it isn't. Remember back in 1999-2000 when the New Jersey Devils fired coach Robbie Ftorek with eight games remaining in the regular season despite the fact they were No. 1 in the Eastern Conference? The Devils had lost 10 of their last 16 games when the hammer came down.
GM Lou Lamoriello made the unusual move, replacing Ftorek with Larry Robinson, saying: "We were not playing to our potential, in my mind. I didn't feel that we would come out of the slump."
Many were startled by Lamoriello's move, but when the Devils went on to win the Stanley Cup, he looked like a genius.
There is still plenty of time for the Capitals to find their (bleeping) game, but if the struggles continue, you'd have to think Washington GM George McPhee has a tough (bleeping) decision to make. And we all know, in a salary cap world it's a heck of a lot easier to change one coach than it is a handful of players.
By the way, excuse the language … just finished watching a little Pens and Caps on HBO.
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