Peter Laviolette

Capitals lament being first-rounded for third consecutive year: ‘There’s not a person in the room who isn’t disappointed’

After winning Game One in overtime against the Boston Bruins, the Washington Capitals lost four consecutive games and were eliminated in the first round of the postseason for the third consecutive year.

The cornerstones of the Capitals, Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom, spoke to the press after Game Five as well as head coach Peter Laviolette – the veteran, Stanley Cup-winning head coach that was hired to get the team deeper in the postseason.

The coach and his players touched on what went wrong, addressed the suspicion that many of the Capitals’ stars were playing hurt, and spoke about the floundering power play. They also struggled to accept the team’s fate after finishing the regular season with the fifth-most standings points in the NHL.

“Nobody wants to lose right?” Ovechkin said. “We try to do best that we can. Obviously we can do better. It sucks. It’s a bad feeling when you have a pretty good team.”

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By Ian Oland 2 months ago

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Peter Laviolette considering one or two lineup changes for Game Five: ‘We’re talking through that’

The Washington Capitals looked listless in Game Four, losing to the Boston Bruins 4-1. After winning the first game of the series, the Capitals have lost three consecutive games to Boston and face elimination on Sunday.

Ahead of practice on Saturday, Peter Laviolette spoke to the press and revealed it was possible the team could tinker with its lineup for Game Five, but nothing was decided as of now.

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By Ian Oland 2 months ago

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Peter Laviolette explains why he played Daniel Carr over Daniel Sprong in Game Three

One of the biggest discussions on social media during Game Three was Peter Laviolette’s decision to bench Daniel Sprong in favor of Daniel Carr.

Sprong scored 13 goals and tallied a career-high 20 points in 47 games, carving out a full-time roster spot for himself, while Carr spent most of the season on the sidelines (6 games) as a taxi squad member.

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By Ian Oland 2 months ago

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Peter Laviolette started Ilya Samsonov in Game Three because ‘him and Vitek were the guys that got us here’

Peter Laviolette started a third different goaltender in as many games Wednesday night against the Boston Bruins. Laviolette chose to sit 39-year-old Craig Anderson in favor of Ilya Samsonov, who the team had suspended for disciplinary reasons only 16 days ago.

Samsonov was sensational in his first game since May 1, shutting down a long five-on-three Bruins power play and making 40 saves on the night. But it was Samsonov’s miscommunication with Justin Schultz in the second overtime that ultimately cost Washington the game.

Afterward, Laviolette explained his decision to go back to the 24-year-old Russian.

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By Ian Oland 2 months ago

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Peter Laviolette: ‘I’m a big fan of the juice’

If the 2021 playoffs have revealed anything, it’s that Peter Laviolette loves the juice.

Juice, in Lavy’s language, is a noun and another word for enthusiasm or passion. He’s used the saying multiple times this season, including on consecutive game days to start the 2021 playoffs.

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By Ian Oland 2 months ago

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Peter Laviolette kinda provides updates on Kuznetsov and Samsonov, sorta suggests Craig Anderson will start Game Two (maybe?)

Caps head coach Peter Laviolette spoke to the media on Sunday afternoon.

With Vitek Vanecek injured in Saturday’s game and the sudden reappearance of Evgeny Kuznetsov and Ilya Samsonov at practice on Sunday, Laviolette had a lot of updates to share, though maybe not specific ones.

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By Peter Hassett 2 months ago

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Peter Laviolette refuses to answer questions about Evgeny Kuznetsov and Ilya Samsonov who remain away from the team

Peter Laviolette was Peak Lavy ahead of Game One of the Capitals’ first-round series against the Boston Bruins.

After the morning skate, Lavy wouldn’t say who would start in net, he wouldn’t say which injured players were playing, and he wouldn’t answer questions about Evgeny Kuznetsov and Ilya Samsonov. The two Russians remained on the NHL’s COVID-19 Unavailability List for a twelfth straight day and were not at practice.

“It’s playoffs,” Laviolette said. “I’m going to keep those things a little closer to the vest. It’s probably not okay, but I’m going to do it anyway.”

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By Ian Oland 2 months ago

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Peter Laviolette refuses to announce Capitals’ starting goaltender for playoffs

On May 3, RMNB published an article entitled Peter Laviolette says Capitals will name Ilya Samsonov or Vitek Vanecek as starter before playoffs, but team will need both goalies. From that story, the Capitals head coach said, “we’re definitely going to have to name a starter before the playoffs.”

Ten days later, after the Capitals’ first postseason practice, Laviolette, for whatever reason, reversed course.

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By Ian Oland 2 months ago

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How a previously unknown meeting in Longboat Key helped the Capitals sign Zdeno Chara over the offseason

Zdeno Chara was named the Capitals’ Masterton Trophy nominee on Monday. The award is given out annually to the NHL player who shows the most perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey.

“Those two words, I don’t think that you can use two better words to describe (Zdeno Chara) [the] player or [the] person than dedication and perseverance,” Capitals head coach Peter Laviolette said. “I think that it’s a terrific choice for the Masterton and somebody’s that’s well-deserving.”

Laviolette was then asked for an “example, anecdote, or a behind-the-scenes tale” that perfectly described the future Hall of Fame defenseman. Laviolette decided to share a story that gave background behind how the Capitals inked Chara on December 30 to a one-year contract. Zee’s signing with Washington was one of the biggest surprises of the NHL’s offseason.

The anecdote involves a barrier island on the gulf coast of Florida that is known for its crystal clear water.

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By Ian Oland 3 months ago

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Peter Laviolette says the Capitals didn’t rest anybody against the Flyers. Everybody who was out had lower-body injuries.

The Washington Capitals defeated the Philadelphia Flyers 2-1 in overtime on Saturday. Lars Eller tied the game 1-1 with 40 seconds remaining in the third period and Conor Sheary won it in overtime after a fantastic pass by Nic Dowd.

“That was a real gutsy game with what we’re dealing with right now,” Capitals head coach Peter Laviolette said.

No matter how enthralling and fun the comeback win was, the victory was completely overshadowed by the Capitals’ rapidly expanding infirmary list. Nicklas Backstrom and John Carlson were late scratches for the game joining Alex Ovechkin (lower body), Evgeny Kuznetsov (COVID protocol), and Ilya Samsonov (COVID protocol) out of the lineup. During the game, Tom Wilson got injured in the first period, returned in the second period, and never quite looked the same. TJ Oshie got injured late in the second period and did not return.

Meanwhile in Hershey, Michal Kempny got hurt by an ice scraper.

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By Ian Oland 3 months ago

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