“Capitals' philosophy shifts” plus 1 more |
| Posted: 02 Jan 2011 12:10 AM PST PITTSBURGH – The Washington Capitals maintain the changes to their game in recent weeks are not a drastic overhaul but rather the natural evolution of a team. Once defined almost entirely by a seemingly infinite ability to score, Washington is developing its defensive identity. On Saturday, the Capitals displayed their new priorities against their biggest rival, the Pittsburgh Penguins, in the Winter Classic, the NHL's biggest stage aside from the Stanley Cup playoffs. Originally scheduled for 1 p.m. at Heinz Field, the league pushed the contest back to Saturday night to avoid rain showers forecast for the morning and afternoon. While the Capitals have gradually added a new dimension, going 4-0-1 since snapping an eight-game losing streak, the Penguins were focused on perfecting their game. Pittsburgh went 16-3-1 in its 20 contests before Saturday, and even on nights when the odds might not have been in their favor, the Penguins found ways to win. Washington hopes it can learn to do the same, even if it means there won't be offensive fireworks every night. "There are 25 other teams in the league that are doing it, and we just felt the way things are going with our club, we needed to change something," general manager George McPhee said. "That's the silver lining in the adversity that we went through. We needed to change something, and we did. Now there's the emphasis on defense that we haven't had enough of in the last few years. They've all enjoyed scoring a fair amount, but you're not going to win every game just by outscoring clubs." Perhaps the most quantifiable evidence of Washington's defensive focus is that over the past 16 games, which includes the losing streak that was the worst in three seasons, the Capitals have allowed an average of 2.43 goals. With a 7-0 loss to New York on Dec. 12 removed, the average drops to 2.1 goals. Even the Penguins noticed some small adjustments in the Capitals when the teams met for the first time this season Dec. 23, a 3-2 shootout win for Pittsburgh. "I thought that maybe they were a little more conscious of not letting us get to the paint and getting in front of their goalie," Penguins veteran Mike Rupp said, while Pascal Dupuis noted the heavy Washington forecheck. "It's a pretty big change," Eric Fehr said. "We're really limiting teams' opportunities to gain speed in the neutral zone and come in and create opportunities. We're sitting back a little bit more, which is different for this team, but I think it's going to work for us." Washington would savor a victory against Pittsburgh in the national spotlight with the help of its revamped philosophy. "In the end, it's about two points," said Capitals coach Bruce Boudreau, a former Komets player and coach. "But let's not make a mistake: We're all people that want the game of hockey to grow, and this is a big deal. … It's going to be a great." This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php |
| Great American Think-Off asks for 2011: Does poetry matter? Posted: 01 Jan 2011 04:26 PM PST Sorry, Readability was unable to parse this page for content. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php |
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