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The Jekyll & Hyde case of Alexander Semin

November 5, 11:28 PM

Washington Capitals Examiner

Michael Hoffman

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Nuance was not the name of the game for an angry Bruce Boudreau after yesterday’s 3-2 loss. No Bruce was not going to be subtle after a game that saw Alexander Semin essentially cost the Capitals a chance to win the game by commiting three separate penalties. “You go behind the net and put your stick on a guy and you're going to get a penatly… Semin’s been in the league for five years, these guys know this. It’s just dumb penalties.”

And even after five years in the league, just as Semin carries an ungodly amount of talent, he still remains an enigma. Imagine Superman without a sense of direction and you get Alexander Semin. Olaf Kolzig is just one of the many who has been wispering for years that Semin has more "pure talent" than Ovechkin, but he just doesn't have the head to put it together.

How many times have we seen this guy commit a lazy hooking penalty on defense?

How many times has he tried to play his own game and make one-on-one moves without looking toward his teammates?

I’ll give you a little clue, New Jersey wasn’t the first time we’ve seen this and it probably won’t be the last.

In terms of how Semin played last night, we’ve seen it enough times to know this is not some sort of outlier act, that won’t happen again. Storming the crease hit the nail on the head in describing what we saw last night and what we often see from Semin.

“The reason the second line wasn't working well last night was because Semin played as if he was trying out for the Harlem Globetrotters. Every time he got the puck, he would skate around looking for a shot or fancy play instead of trying to pass and be a good teammate. That doesn't work for any team, let alone for the hardworking Caps.”

"Storming" also raised an interesting possibility that Semin tries to do everything if he’s not playing with Ovechkin, and that he selfishly believes that he is good enough to play an individual game and let his god-given talent overwhelm. That’s a substantial charge to make, but it isn’t without some merit. Without Ovechkin, I just don’t view Semin as someone able to carry the team on his own. He just doesn’t have a complete game yet and at times I wonder if he’ll ever fully get it. Don't get me wrong, I love the goal scoring ability of this guy, but at this point his game really needs to mature. Time will tell if that happens.

More About: Washington Capitals · Alexander Ovechkin · NHL · Alexander Semin

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