Early season trends

After watching the Washington Nationals bow out of the first round of MLB playoffs again, hockey moved up a notch in grabbing my attention, but just barely. It’s hard to get excited about hockey this early in the season, but time to notice some early season trends.

Coach Barry Trotz is focused on getting his team to play a faster game and he is making sure his star players, a la Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, and T.J. Oshie do not play the same amount of minutes as they have in years past as written in the Washington Post. Ovie is 31 and has played an intense and hard hitting hockey game since he entered the league in 2005. The Caps finally surrounded him with better teammates, particularly, in the General Manager Brian MacLellan era, but the generational goal scorer of our time still does not have his name on a Cup and the window to do that is getting smaller so reducing ice time is a good move.

The early season surprise award goes to Marcus Johansson. 11 games into this season with his 6G and 5A, he has a bit over 25% of his point production from last year when he played 74 games and generated 46 points. Maybe Trotz’s focus on playing a quicker game fits MoJo’s speed. Let’s hope this trend continues.

T. J. Oshie continues to impress with his devotion to playing tough hockey. He gives 150% effort every night. His 6G, 1A, and +6 season is not bad and the determination he puts into scoring those points is what makes him a joy to watch. It is good to see the top line back together as Ovie, Oshie, and Backstrom make things happen on the ice. Ovie continues to rack up points, at 7G and 4A, undress defensemen, and score power play goals by using the same shot he has used to torch goalies for 11-years. That never gets old to watch.

There are plenty of other positive trends for future posts, but there are also concerning signs with this team even if it is just November. Vezina winning goalie, Braden Holtby, is not in his groove. A puck flies past him and he barely moves when it seems like he should have seen the shot. Holtby seems like the Vezina winner in some periods of some games, but, at other times, he is making stupid plays and seems out of it. Getting Holtby into his groove is critical for this team’s success.

The Caps losing focus during the game is another concerning trend. They play a good first period, then slack off in the second period and get burned. They go up 2-0 or 3-0 and let the Jets tie the game before stealing it away from them with a Jay Beagle goal with 34 seconds left or an Ovie overtime game winner. The Caps do not need to make it difficult on themselves.

But, lots more hockey to be played.

Let’s go Caps!

So it begins as Caps season starts

I’m not even watching hockey tonight because there is a more exciting event going on for D.C. sports fans. The Nationals are trying to advance past the first round of the MLB playoffs. Given the playoff disasters that I’ve witnessed for the Nationals and the Capitals, I don’t expect a good ending, yet, I continue to watch. But, back to hockey.

I’m not sure what to think of the Washington Capitals this year. The addition of Lars Eller seems like a decent pickup for the third line. He’s a 25+ point player per year. Depth down the middle has not been the Caps strength in the Alex Ovechkin era so the pickup can’t hurt. I thank GM Brian MacLellan for attempting to fix the Caps weaknesses because GM George McPhee never had the courage, but it still has not resulted in post-season success.

What really is different this season? Coach Barry Trotz said he learned a lot from his experience as an assistant coach for Team Canada during the World Cup of Hockey. Yeah, will it make him a Stanley Cup contending coach? How about a get out of the second round coach? Don’t get me wrong, Trotz has been instrumental in changing the culture in Washington and teaching this team how to play a grittier game. But, he has to get this team past the first round. Of course, all of this assumes they make the playoffs and I never assume any Washington team will make the playoffs.

The younger Capitals like Evgeny Kuznetsov and Andre Burakovsky are older and supposedly heavier, so that’s a good thing, but will it make a difference? That won’t be apparent until the Caps actually make it past the second round.

The window is closing for this team in the Alex Ovechkin era. My favorite Capital ever turned 31 and is still the standard by which goal scorers are judged as he walked away with his sixth Rocket Richard trophy last season. His name deserves to be on the Cup and that’s the elusive piece of hardware the Caps lack.

One thing I know for sure is that I would really appreciate it if the Caps make sure they are not in contention for, much less win, the President’s trophy this year.  

Let’s go Caps!

Ovechkin’s signature shot and Carlson’s presence

Alex Ovechkin’s signature shot made an appearance in game 2 of the series versus the Philadelphia Flyers. It is his blast from the left half wall on the power play shot. The one he has blasted past every team and every goalie in the NHL. It does not matter that he is still showing that same shot in his 10^th year of playing in the NHL. It still works and is a piece of what makes Ovie so special to Caps fans.

Ovie scored an even strength goal the 2^nd period of game 3. T.J. Oshie made that one happen by abusing Claude Giroux, grabbing the puck, sending it up ice where Ovie picked it up on his entry from the bench and blasted a wrister past goalie Steve Mason. He netted a second power play goal on multiple penalties when the Flyers tried to kill Dmitry Orlov by throwing him into the boards in the middle of the 2nd period.

John Carlson’s presence on the ice has been noticeable during the first three games of the series. That will be critical after Brooks Orpik got slammed into the glass in the 2^nd period and shows no sign of returning. Carlson’s offensive presence includes 3 power play goals, one in each game, and three assists. His strong defense, including giving Brayden Schenn the shove off in game 2 before scoring, and outlet passes keep the Caps moving the puck and will continue to be critical in the playoffs.

Carlson and Ovechkin are now tied for goals. Oh, and the Caps power play that lacked at the end of the regular season is fixed with a 5 of 9 performance in game 3.

The Flyers will be out to kill more Caps on Wednesday so play safe Caps.  

Let’s go Caps!

Marcus Johansson is showing playoff promise and Holtby is a beast

It is nice to see that Marcus Johansson is showing playoff promise. is HisHis 0G-2A-2P and plus-1 game performance in game 1 against the Philadelphia Flyers included some good board battles and continued gritty play. That is encouraging.

The number one star of the game was Braden Holtby. The holtbeast kept the Caps in the game when the Flyers owned the first period and had 3 power plays. The Caps rallied in the 2^nd and 3^rd period and took care of business. John Carlson and Jay Beagle provided the goals.

Holtby is again in beast mode as the Caps lead 1-0 in game 2 at the end of the first period, but the Caps had to survive a 5 on 3 penalty kill. John Carlson put the puck in the net on the power play with Marcus Johansson and T.J. Oshie screening Steve Mason. Caps survived the Flyers pressure, but need more offense in the second.

My favorite move of the night, so far, is Alex Ovechkin putting Brayden Schenn into his bench after he hit Karl Alzner on a hit into the boards as time ran out.

Let’s go Caps!

Caps playoff stories to watch

There are many Caps playoff stories to watch, but long-time fans, myself included, view the playoffs with anxiety, not excitement. There is too much in the history books I’d rather forget related to this team in the playoffs. But, I’m glad the players are excited and I hope they play like they did Saturday versus the St. Louis Blues, a team fighting for a division title that the Caps dominated with an Alex Ovechkin hat trick.

It is a new second season and time for the Caps to step up their game.

The Caps stories to watch in the playoffs:

Can the Captain Alex Ovechkin, lead his team past the second round of the playoffs? Ovie shows up in the playoffs and is an almost point per game scorer with 36G 34A 70P in 72 games. The bigger the game and the venue, the more he turns on the after burners.

Will Nicklas Backstrom make his presence felt this playoffs? He is 20G 50A 70P in 75 games and is +17.  He was hampered by injury during the last playoffs, but Caps need the guy with the “A” on his jersey to not only win faceoffs and make great plays, but also win battles and be willing to throw it all on the ice for the Cup.

Can the other leaders on the team and on the bench, Justin Williams and Brooks Orpik, in particular, keep the Caps focused on battling instead of getting rattled when they face adversity in the playoffs? Their experience in coming from behind should help, too.

Williams has been a joy to watch this year. His game is more subtle than other players, but watching him win battles along the board, make plays, and score goals has been fun. But, it is his playoff experience that is even more important to the Caps. He is constantly coaching on the bench, chatting away with his line mates, pointing out things to improve. They will need that even more from Williams starting now. He is a huge key to the Caps ability to be successful in the playoffs.

Orpik is the leader of the defense. Even though he spent the better part of this season injured, his presence in Washington has made the team better. John Carlson learned a lot from him and so did Karl Alzner. His health and leadership are critical for the playoffs.

T.J. Oshie, the energizer bunny, as Ovie calls him, is another critical cog in this playoff adventure. He leads by example on the ice because Oshie plays hard on every shift. He has his own playoff demons with the Blues, so now is his opportunity to exorcise them.

Can Karl Alzner and Matt Niskanen continue playing great defense? Alzner had a career year during the regular season. This pairing logged the heavy minutes all season and successfully kept the Caps in many games.

Will the young wizard Evgeny Kuznetsov regain his form and repeat his playoff performance from last season? He only has 4 points in 12 games. But, he showed up big time in his first playoffs with 5G 2A 7P in 14 games.  

Can John Carlson stay healthy? He has had a rough year health-wise and the Caps need his ability to make an efficient outlet pass.

Will Braden Holtby be the stand on his head, keep the Caps in so many games goalie, that fans saw earlier in the season? He is a competitor, so the brighter lights should lead to him regaining his better form from earlier in the season. Holtby’s performance has improved the last several weeks.

Can Marcus Johansson play in the playoffs like he played this season? He finally found some grit to this game and even spent 16-minutes in the penalty box, his most as a Cap.

Will Tom Wilson play smart in the playoffs? His play and skating improved so much this season, but he still makes bone-headed plays at bad moments. On the other hand, Wilson is the agitator, get under the skin of other players, type of player that the Caps can use in the playoffs. Can his frequent line mates Jason Chimera and Jay Beagle keep the chemistry going and keep producing? It is nice to have the faceoff specialist, Beagle, back in the lineup.

Can Andre Burakovsky and Dmitri Orlov perform in the playoffs? They both had good seasons. It will be interesting to see how they respond to the slug fest of the second season.

Many story lines to explore as things unfold starting with the arrival of the Philadelphia Flyers to the Verizon Center on Thursday night.

I hope the Caps get out of the first round because I do not need a second dog. The last one arrived in May 2010, when I could not watch the Caps implode during game 7 of the first round versus the Montreal Canadians. They won the President’s trophy that year, too. Ugh.

Let’s go Caps!

Can the Caps regain their form for the playoffs?

The Caps huge lead in the playoff race has been deadly to their performance in the last two months. Their record is better than their performance. Can the Caps regain their form for the playoffs? As Coach Barry Trotz and others have stated, it is not that easy to turn it on for the playoffs after playing lackluster hockey for the two months before the playoffs.

The Caps play against good teams does not inspire confidence that they will last long in hockey’s second season. The Pittsburgh Penguins beat them by 4 goals in a 2-6 loss on March 20^th. The St. Louis Blues pasted them for a 0-4 loss at home. They rarely beat the San Jose Sharks and continued that tradition on March 12^th in a 2-5 loss.

Alex Ovechkin, with 2 goals and 3 assists in his last 11 games, is not producing at his usual scoring pace although he may still be nursing that nagging injury. Evgeny Kuznetsov is on a 4 game goal scoring drought and had a minus-4 performance in Pittsburgh, which followed his 3 assist night versus the Nashville Predators.

Dmitry Orlov needs to mature in a hurry. His outlet pass that turned into a giveaway against the Blue Jackets is an example of the little stuff he needs to clean up. Those types of plays will get the Caps scored on in the playoffs.   

T.J. Oshie is a critical component of this Caps team. He is the Energizer Bunny as Ovie says. He plays the game with an intensity that gets the rest of the Caps going. When he was out with flu like symptoms the prior two games against the New Jersey Devils and the St. Louis Blues, it was easy to see how much he is missed. The Caps need him at 100% throughout the playoffs.

Thankfully, John Carlson is back. He netted the game winner his first game back. It is obvious when Carlson is on the ice because the outlet passes out of the defensive zone are much stronger and get the Caps to the other side of the ice. The Caps need him to stay healthy.

The Caps have performed better in the first period in the last few games and won tonight against the 15th place Eastern Conference team, the Columbus Blue Jackets, which means they won it the Presidents' trophy. They also won it in 2010 and then bowed out in the first round. They need to remember that and keep getting in shape for the playoffs.

Let’s go Caps!

Third period Caps

Are the third period Caps going to be the ones playing in the playoffs? It is great for them to come from behind and win games by 1 goal as they try to motivate themselves to finish the regular season, but coming from behind is harder in the playoffs.

The Caps lead their division by 18-points in the standings with 14 games left and they play like it. They give up the first goal with stunning regularity, leading games after the first period just twice in their last 22 games. Then, they play well enough in the third period or during the overtime period or the shootout to come back and win the game most of the time.

The comeback did not work out so well against the San Jose Sharks on Saturday night when the Caps lost by three goals. The concern is that the slow starts become an ingrained habit that is not so easy to shake once the playoffs start.

Teams are giving the Caps everything they have got, as is natural when they are playing against the top team in the league. But, effort level of the opponent goes up in the playoffs, not down, so the Caps need to weather the barrages better. The intensity level will continue to increase.

The relentless schedule of games, made worse by two make up games due to the Washington D.C. blizzard the weekend of January 22, 2016, has not helped. The Caps have had 5-6 games in hand on most teams in the league until the 7 games in 12 days spurt that ended in San Jose.

The nagging injuries, including Alex Ovechkin’s are also worrying, particularly, as he goes into a 5-game goal scoring slump. John Carlson is skating and is expected to be back on the ice towards the end of March, but he has been out more than in this season. New players have jointed the Caps in former Toronto Maple Leafs Daniel Winnik and former Buffalo Sabre Mike Weber. Injuries and new line mates messes up the chemistry and takes time to mesh.

Coach Barry Trotz mixes up the line when things get stale and the Caps play too cute so the expectation is that will continue versus the Carolina Hurricanes tomorrow. That game will give the Caps, new lines or not, another opportunity to score first, for a change, and come back from an overall mini performance slump. One month left…

Let’s go Caps!

Marcus Johansson’s success at playing center

Playing with line mates Jason Chimera and Tom Wilson, Marcus Johansson’s success at playing center on the third line is a sign of a good fit. The player fans love to hate is turning in a tremendous season, particularly, after finding his stride in between the 35-year old speedster, Chimera, and the aggressive style of Tom Wilson. That line is producing. Chimera has speed and toughness, Wilson has grit, they both win board battles, and Johansson has speed to set up plays and make his own.

The interesting part of Johansson’s season happened in November after the New York Rangers game. He got suspended for two games for an illegal hit on defenseman Thomas Hickey. It was not intentional on his part, but the suspension still surprised for a player not known for toughness.

Johansson never seemed like the right fit playing opposite of Alex Ovechkin with Nicklas Backstrom. The two of them needed someone like T.J. Oshie to be the battler and energy guy on their line and that is not the type of player Johansson is. He, on the other hand, needed some board battlers and speed players so he could make plays instead of killing scoring chances when Ovie dished to him. Coach Barry Trotz continues to mix up the lines when they get stale, so these lines change.

Johansson moved to third line center when Jay Beagle went on long-term injured reserve to have wrist surgery at the end of December. The third line gelled, giving Trotz lots of offensive power in the top 9 forward and the ability to easily roll four lines.

Johansson’s played with more energy all season. He gets Trotz’s system now and is flourishing in it more. He is playing the game the right way, too, by hustling, forechecking, going to the net, setting up screens, and getting garbage goals, too. It will be great for the Caps if he keeps it up during the playoffs. Johansson’s 4 points in 14 games or 2 points in 7 games during 2012-2013 is not enough. Maybe keeping him as the third line center with Chimera and Wilson will fix that.

Let’s go Caps!

Caps play against the West

How do the Caps play against the West? They struggle against the number one team, Dallas Stars, as evidenced by the four unanswered goals scored against them on Saturday. The Caps mustered another third period comeback with three goals, but it was too little too late for the win. They have not beaten that team since October 25, 2008. The Caps record is 3-13-0 in Dallas. That is not good if the stars align, the Caps stay healthy, they keep their mojo, and they make it to the Stanley Cup finals and those finals go through Dallas. A lot has to be true for that to happen, but it is an unpleasant scenario even for the team that made history by being the fastest ever to win 40 games.

The Caps beat the Chicago Blackhawks in their early season meeting, 4-1. If they played today, it would be the number one goal scorer with 35, Alex Ovechkin, against the number two, Patrick Kane, with 33. It would be a tougher game because the intensity of the games rises as the playoffs get closer. They lost to the San Jose Sharks, in 6^th place today, by 1 goal also in October.

Caps have not played the St. Louis Blues, Los Angeles Kings, or Anaheim Ducks yet and those are the 3^rd through 5^th place teams in the West. The Colorado Avalanche and Nashville Predators are 7^th and 8^th. Caps beat the Avalanche 7–3 and beat the Predators 5–3 although they let them back into that game.

Caps games against the West are always close, but it is clear that Dallas is the scariest team for the Caps to face in the playoffs if they survive the first three rounds. There is way too much hockey left to play before they get there, if they get there. It is still not fun to contemplate. The NHL is super competitive.

The discussion of what the Caps need before the trade deadline dominates the local hockey media. Depth and the fact that Brooks Orpik did not play on the road trip, as anticipated, are the biggest concerns, but the Caps do not need anything. They have a lot of talent and when they are focused. And playing the game the right way, they are hard to beat.

Is it April yet?

Let’s go Caps!

The hockey IQ of Justin Williams

The player dubbed “Mr. Game 7” for his Stanley Cup championship playoff heroics, although it is a moniker he prefers to shrug off, is one smart hockey player. The hockey IQ of Justin Williams makes him the type of player that the Caps needed to add to their lineup at the end of last season. T.J. Oshie and Williams added critical veteran leadership and hard-working players to this team and helped to amplify the culture Coach Barry Trotz set out to build.

Williams’s 15G-16A-31P and +14 stats in his 43 games has him on pace for a year he has not seen since his 59 points in 2011-2012 with the Los Angeles Kings. Williams seems stoked to play on this team. His leadership has to be a huge help to Trotz, too. What better person for the players who have not played in the Stanley Cup finals to listen to on the bench.

Two years ago in the playoffs skating for the Stanley Cup champions Los Angeles Kings, Williams’s 9G-16A-25P and +13 helped that team win. His 7 points in the finals earned him the Conn Smythe trophy. The Caps can only hope for a similar experience during a playoff run that hopefully lasts longer than one series.

Williams’s contribution to the Caps this year includes lots of smart plays like dishing the puck ahead of three players against the New York Rangers and getting his own rebounds. Like making an impact regardless of his line mates, Jason Chimera and Jay Beagle, Nicklas Backstrom and Marcus Johansson, or Chimera and Evgeny Kuznetsoz. Williams assists and scores with all of them.

His hat trick and first star performance on Sunday versus the New York Rangers included a little luck and an empty net, but Williams makes his own luck, too. He is constantly involved in the play, stirs up trouble, makes great plays and gets great cycle games going with Johansson and Kuznetsov. He likes playing against the Rangers, too, since he had a 2G-1A-3P night against them for another first star performance on December 20, 2015. Williams is a key cog in the wheel of the Caps playoff hopes.

Let’s go Caps!

The joy of watching Alex Ovechkin

I learned about number 8 by reading about him months before he stepped foot on the ice for the Washington Capitals. As a long suffering Caps fan, I could not imagine Washington being a destination for a generational player, but that is exactly what Caps fans have witnessed, 10-years of a generational player’s career to become only the 43^rd person in NHL history to score 500 goals. From his first two goal, shattered glass game against the Columbus Blue Jackets through his next 498 goals, the joy of watching Alex Ovechkin has never faded.

Ovie’s smash mouth hockey, combined with his sniper’s ability to shoot and score highlight reel goals and his infectious celebrations when he or his teammates scores make him unique. He still draws amazed gasps in my household on a frequent basis. There will never be another Washington Capital like him in my lifetime.

Three of my favorite goals and why:

The goal – because I stood up in the room where I watched that goal saying over and over again “He meant to do that.” That and Wayne Gretzky’s face and slight smile made me optimistic for that generational label.

The February 29, 2009 goal against the Montreal Canadiens – the one where Ovie slid around Roman Hamrlik and bounced the puck back to himself off the wall, caught the puck, and got tripped up by Kyle Chipchura, slide across the ice to chip it past Carey Price. That was the most impressive goal I’ve seen.

#499 – the overtime game winning goal versus the goalie that has been punished the most by Ovie, Henrik Lundqvist (see an Ovie stats article on nhl.com), had everything. Great saves by both goalie Braden Holtby and blue liner Nate Schmidt and Ovie’s around Holtby’s net, coast-to-coast sprint ending in making a Ryan McDonagh look silly by using him as a screen and getting the puck in the net is vintage Ovie.

In 2010, I took a trip to see the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto and watch hockey in Toronto, Montreal and Ottawa and got to see Ovie’s appeal to Canadian fans of the game. From his ubiquitous presence in the Hall of Fame for his three trophies at that time – the Richard, the Lester B. Pearson and the Hart – and his world juniors appearance in 2005, where he won the honor of being the best forward is also in Toronto to the Ovechkin jersey appearances in each city I visited, Ovie was everywhere. Most Canadians I talked to wished he played for their team, but one thought Ovie was the best player in the world.

In the Caps game versus Montreal on the 2010 trip, Ovie got two assists and had a monster hit on Hal Gill, the 6’7, 241 lb. defenseman that pushed him into Carey Price’s net. Classic Ovie. I look forward to continued unexpected highlight reel moments from one of the greatest scorers to ever play the game.  

Let’s go Caps!

When adversity strikes

The Washington Capitals place on top of the Eastern Conference by nine points could not have come at a better time. The season is nearing its mid-point at 38 games and key injuries are piling up for this team. The Caps wins have come in a variety of ways, but they have also benefited from Goalie Braden Holtby’s Vezina contending season to get them on top and keep them there.  Now, with key players out the Caps get to display how they react when adversity strikes.

The injury roundup:

• The veteran leader of the defense and for the team as the assistant captain, Brooks Orpik played his last game on November 10^th and the up and down nature of his recovery is not encouraging.
• John Carlson, the blue liner having a strong year and picking up for Orpik’s absence, got injured in Montreal on December 26^th.
• Jay Beagle, the faceoff and penalty kill specialist, had hand surgery today and is out for six weeks. The Caps are 21-0-5 when he scores. Beagle scored in his last two games and was the first star of the game twice against the Montreal Canadiens and the Carolina Hurricanes. He is the hardworking checking line forward that always puts his heart and soul on the ice. According to his Coach Barry Trotz, he is also the practice guy, motivated to practice like he is motivated to play. That help to the accountability culture will be missed.

The Caps lost their past two games to the Columbus Blue Jackets and the Carolina Hurricanes. This is the first losing streak of the season for the Caps. The competitive NHL means that 9 points is nothing and can vanish in under a week. The team behind them is the Florida Panthers and the Caps recent performance against that team is not encouraging with a 1-4 loss on December 10^th and a 2-1 overtime win at the end of October. The Caps need to deal with the adversity and get back to winning with a new mix of line combinations and defensive pairings.

The best news of the day is that Carlson and Orpik are traveling with the team. Neither is expected to play, but the fact that they are on the trip is encouraging.

Let’s go Caps!

Goalies need more support

Braden Holtby’s play in net this season has put him on top of the NHL leader board with the most wins at 21. The Caps lead the league with the lowest goals against per game with 2.61 and most of that is due to Holtby. Watching him develop into an elite goalie under Coach Mitch Korn is fun. But, the Caps players have not given him, or his backup Philip Grubauer, the defense they deserve. The goalies need more support.

It showed when Holtby started in Tampa Bay and let in 3 goals on 12 shots. They Caps broke down, in front of him, like they do for parts of what seems like every game, particularly, during their notorious slow starts to games. Coach Barry Trotz pulled Holtby because he wanted to send a message to the players. He’s reaching elite numbers and is 1st in GAA% with a 1.96 and 5^th in SV% with a .931. His highlight reel saves are becoming as common as Alex Ovechkin’s highlight reel goals and they’re responsible for helping Holtby win those 21 games. He is doing his job, but the same cannot be said for all of his teammates on a consistent basis.

Yes, the Caps are 25-6-2, but they play sloppy, at times, and then expect Holtby, or Grubauer, to bail them out. The Caps players need to be responsible for cleaning up their mistakes in the defensive zone. They went 6-1 while playing 7 games in 13 days, but that blazing pace is due to their net minders keeping pucks out of the net.

It is nice that their grind it out win in Carolina tonight showed they found another way to win. When their legs looked like they were skating in quicksand, they dug deep for that extra gear and made it through that final penalty kill for that ridiculous too many men on the ice penalty. This, after two comeback games, one in Tampa Bay and last night in New York as they were down by two goals at the end of the first period last night, but ended up winning the game with six unanswered goals. That’s the last piece of balance the Caps need, a way to grind out a win with offense as often as their goalies bail them out.

No team is going to play the game the right way for an 82-game season and, at a minimum, 16 more games to lift the Cup, but when the Caps play the right way they give their goalies support and they win easily. It is that simple and it is fun to watch.

Let’s go Caps!

The Russian scoring contest

Watching Evgeny Kuznetsov skate circles around the opposing goalie’s net without losing the puck or getting touched by defenders as he dishes to Dmitry Orlov for the game winner against the Jets shows the wait for his presence in the Caps lineup was worth it. Former General Manager George McPhee knew the skill Kuznetsov would bring to the Caps.  It makes the loss of Filip Forsberg, a bad and desperate GMGM move, a tiny bit less painful. Also, Forsberg is a winger while Kuznetsov is the second line center the Caps have needed since Alex Ovechkin entered the league ten years ago.

Kuznetsov’s first full season with the Caps came as Coach Barry Trotz installed his new system and taught team accountability. It is probably a good thing that he did not spend too much time in Washington before that. His full potential started shining in the playoffs last season with his 5G-2A-7P and plus-14 in his 14 playoff games. This season he started as the Caps first line center, while NIcklas Backstrom recovered from offseason hip surgery, in between Alex Ovechkin and new Capital, T. J. Oshie. Kuznetsov flourished on the first line, capped by his 3 assist night in Calgary and 5 point night in Edmonton within three days. He plays smart, poised hockey, beyond his 23-years.

In 23 games this season, Kuznetsov has 8G-18A-26P and is plus-14. His 18 assists and 26 points puts him at 6^th place in the NHL, while his plus/minus is good for 4th. The other half of the Russian scoring contest, Alex Ovechkin, in 22 games, has 12G-10A-22P and is plus-12, good for 5^th in the NHL with his goal scoring is also 5^th in the NHL. Last season in the playoffs, Ovie generated 5G-4A-9P, 2 assists better than Kuznetsov, but was a minus-3. This contest should be fun to watch all season and Kuznetsov can push Ovie. Ovie, the Capitals leading point generator throughout the majority of his tenure, is currently behind his Russian teammate by four points. That should keep Ovie focused and that can only be good for the Caps.

Throw in the offensive minded Russian defenseman, Dmitry Orlov, part of the Russian troika, with Ovie and Kuznetsov, that won the overtime versus the Florida Panthers on a Kuznetsov goal with assists from the other two, and there is lots of scoring potential from the Russian Capitals. Let’s hope Russian scoring continues, in droves, throughout the season, and way past April.

Let’s go Caps!

Chimera's Contribution

In 77 games last season, winger Jason Chimera generated 7 goals and 12 assists and ended with a minus-1. In 17 games this season, Chimera has 5 goals and 2 assist with a minus-4. This includes a 2 goal, 1 assist night against the Philadelphia Flyers. Both of his goals came on the power play, an area where the Caps needed traffic in front of the net. They got that with Chimera parked in front of goalie Steve Mason.  He netted two goals on the power play in that game, the most he has ever had in one season.

Chimera’s shined in his first star performance that night. He is always on the hard working line for the Caps. During regular shifts, he has been paired with the sneaky, but effective winger Justin Williams and the hard working center Jay Beagle. Chimera spent much of his time, prior to this season, skating with Joel Ward and Troy Brouwer so it was tough to know how he would adjust. That coupled with Chimera’s struggle last season with Coach Barry Trotz’s system, as noted in an earlier Washington Post article, seemed to indicate that this season might continue to be a struggle for him. From the low of sitting in the press box last season to his performance, so far, Chimera is getting better and better since he became a Cap in December 2009.

This season, he has almost as many goals as last season. At 36, Chimera flies down the ice like a younger man. He does not look like he has lost a step and he still has the ability to skate around defenders, like he did versus the Flyers. He is another all effort all the time type of player. The Caps finally have more than one player focused on playing the right way throughout the season and, more importantly, for the playoffs. Chimera is a critical component for the Caps success.

The Caps are back in Detroit for another game versus the Red Wings. Caps need more traffic in front of the net and goalie Petr Mrazek. Let’s go Chimera.

Let’s go Caps!

The Fedorov versus Ovechkin discussion

Alex Ovechkin lands in Detroit tied with his Russisan countryman Sergei Fedorov as the most prolific Russian goal scorer in the NHL. Ovie scored his 483 goal against the Toronto Maples Leafs. The amazing thing is that he scored those goals in 772 games while it took Fedorov 1,248 games to reach the same mark. Think about that. Ovie nets goals in an era when goaltenders are far stingier than they used to be and it took him 476 less games to hit the mark. Fedorov is rooting for Ovechkin.

To be fair to Fedorov, he played center, not winger so it is no surprise that he has more assists than Ovie, at this point, with 696 to Ovie’s 428 assists. Ovie’s assist numbers would be much higher today if was passing to wingers who actually shot the puck instead of fumbling his pass. Working with a talent like T.J. Oshie on Ovie’s right wing helps with that challenge. Fedorov never had that challenge passing to his Russian Five teammates, Igor Larionov and Vyacheslav Kozloz.

Ovie and Fedorov are very different players. Ovie is the pure goal scorer in an era where it is difficult to score goals. Goalies are trained and coached like all players today, which was not true in the Wayne Gretzky days. Ovie plays smash mouth hockey. He is not a finesse hockey player, but he is a blast to watch. His highlight reel goals show his skill and effort to get that puck off his stick, even if he is falling to the ice or being harassed by a defender, and past the goalie in a flash before the goalie knows what happens. This is Alex Ovechkin’s gift.   

Fedorov was the two-way complete player that won two Selke trophies and three Stanley Cups. His line mates and defensemen, Vladimir Konstantinov and Viacheslav Fetisov made up Coach Scotty Bowman’s innovation, the Russian Five, that teams did not know how to defend. That line focused on puck control, as it seems, the Red Wings still do today. The Russian Five contributed to Detroit’s first Stanley Cup in 42 years.

Both players won the Hart and the Lester B. Pearson, but the bottom line is they are different. Smash mouth sniper Ovechkin versus elite two-way player Fedorov. The NHL will never forget either of them because Alex Ovechkin will follow Sergei Fedorov into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Let’s go Caps!

A worker on every line

Coach Barry Trotz’s stated strategy to beat the Florida Panthers on Saturday night, after a sluggish start by the Caps, was to “put a worker on every line.” The Caps looked like they were skating in quicksand after playing the Columbus Blue Jackets the prior night.

To create a spark, Trotz broke up his hardest working trio of Jay Beagle, Tom Wilson and Jason Chimera and spread them among the top three lines. Those are not the only line changes he made as that spark happened early in the 3^rd period when Beagle tied the game assisted by Alex Ovechkin and Justin Williams. The Caps won that game in overtime, thanks to the continued magic and hard work of Evgeny Kuznetsov’s offense, assisted by his fellow Russians Ovie and Dmitry Orlov. The Caps responded to their coach and won the game. That is encouraging.

Trotz is all about accountability and effort and that has been evident since he arrived in Washington last summer. He increases ice time when players play well and sends them to the press box when they are not playing the game the right way. That is polar opposite of the Coach Bruce Boudreau country club atmosphere days when the Caps players were more concerned about their activities off the ice.

The additions of T.J. Oshie and Williams this season and Brooks Orpik and Matt Niskanen last season show how serious General Manager Brian MacLellan is about fixing the problems the Caps have had getting past the 2^nd round of the playoffs in the Ovechkin era. He has brought players to Washington that understand how team effort and team play are the most important qualities for winning championships in any professional sport. This group did not bring just their offensive and defensive skill to the Caps, which was also sorely needed, but they brought the leadership intangibles that teams need.

These recently acquired Caps, along with homegrown prospects like Tom Wilson, who is already exhibiting leadership qualities in his play and the words he says, and Kuznetsov, who is so humble in his interviews bodes well for the Caps. It take all of these parts, in addition to the highly skilled players, to make it work. With a couple of exceptions, it has also made the Caps fun to watch.

Let's go Caps!

Oshie equals effort

Throwing his body around and finishing his checks while being the only guy on the team under 6’ , T.J. Oshie gives notice to his opponents that he will make them pay for any transgression with an offensive or defensive play. Oshie oozes effort on every single shift he plays. That means he is worth more to the Caps than just his offensive output. Oshie brings the leadership and hustle intangibles that the Caps were lacking in the pre-Barry Trotz era.

Through four games, Oshie is 2-2-4 and minus-2, but the points came evenly distributed in the last two games and his plus-minus improved to plus-1 and 0. He is finding chemistry with his new line mates, Alex Ovechkin and Evgeny Kuznetsov, for now. Oshie showed chemistry with Nicklas Backstrom (welcome back 3-point night Nicky!) on the power play against the Carolina Hurricanes. His shot from Backstrom on that play showcased a beautiful one-timer.

Oshie seems to make things happen on the ice. Creative offense versus dump and chase offense is being played by the Caps and he is a part of that. The top 6 forward situation, with the addition of Justin Williams and a healthy Backstrom looks improved. Their passing is fun to watch again.

But, the West Coast road trip will be a big test. The Caps struggle, more seasons than not in the Ovie era, with a 3-4 record the last two seasons, when they play Western conference teams on the road. Of course, the Caps were home for that debacle of a game they played against the San Jose Sharks. Maybe the addition of two Western conference players, Oshie and Justin Williams, will help the Caps on the road out West.

Oshie is excited about the Caps and “what we can do if we play the right way” as quoted in this Washington Post article. Those words make Caps fans happy. This is another example of those key intangibles. There can never be enough of that on a team that would like to be competitive in the playoffs, if they get there.

Puck drops in Calgary tomorrow night. Let’s go Caps!

Holtby, Ovie, and Lucky Bounces

Braden Holtby and number one star last night, stood on his head to help the Caps win a 1-0 game to take a 2-1 series lead over the New York Rangers. Holtby, Ovie, and lucky bounces have helped wipe out slow starts that the Caps are notorious for and have not avoided in either of their playoff series against the New York Islanders or Rangers. This includes the 12:30 debacle on Saturday and the first period in game three, after the Rangers came to play and pressured early. This team cannot seem to wake up for games that start before 1:00 p.m. or come out pressing in the first period even when the games are this important. Baffling.

After complaining about their lack of heart, the Caps pulled out a tight series versus the Islanders with a seesaw performance. They pounded the Islanders 5-1 in game 5 only to fan on the opportunity to close out the series in game 6. Instead, they lost and had to go to a game 7, which they eventually won 2-1 with goals from playoff hero, Joel Ward, and the young wizard with the puck, Evgeny Kuznetsov. The heart comes easier when the Caps are desperate, which is not how teams win the Stanley Cup.

The Caps took that victory and stunned the Rangers with a 2-1 win, to open their second round series, led by a possessed Alex Ovechkin and steady in the net Braden Holtby. The captain flew around the ice with purpose, scoring the first goal of the series on the power play from his usual spot. That the Rangers practiced defending that play and could not prevent the laser shot that went in the top of the net and back out in a flash before goalie Henrik Lundqvist even knew what happened is testimony to Ovie’s power as a sniper. In game 2 of the series, Ovie’s highlight reel goal in the 3-2 loss made fools of Ranger defenders, Dan Girardi and Ryan McDonagh, by splitting them and knocking a puck in top left corner as he fell to his knees, a vintage Ovie goal. Ovie is playing on another level and the Caps need that to continue.

Holtby’s been strong and getting stronger since the playoffs started, even if he occasionally lets in softie goals. He’s calm and focused as he bails out his team more often than he lets in softies. His game last night was probably his best of the season. His .949 save percentage shows leads the league among the remaining goaltenders. The Caps need that to continue, too.

The lucky bounces were two game winning goals, noteworthy, because lucky bounces do not find the Caps. Joel Ward’s game winning goal off of Alex Ovechkin’s impossible pass across the body and in front of the net to the waiting Ward with 1.3 seconds left was lucky. Jay Beagle’s hard working second attempt to get the puck in the net deflected off Keith Yandle or Lundqvist and became the game winner. Beagle demonstrated how hard work creates luck and nobody deserves it more because he always toils on the ice. Keep working hard Caps and keep making luck.

Let’s go Caps!

Stars are Producing, But Heart is the Issue

The Caps won a must win game versus the New York Islanders tonight. They played with more desperation, but it is not encouraging that this team cannot rise to the level of intensity that characterizes teams that win playoff series and Stanley Cups. The knock on the Caps have been that their top stars, Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom, have not performed and they must make lots of noise if the Caps are to be successful in the playoffs.

Ovie’s playoff stats of 33G-31A-64P puts him at just over a point per game although his last couple of playoffs have not been as productive as the years 2008-2011 when he had 41 points in 30 games. He’s also plus-9 over his 62 playoff games. Ovie, however, shows up for the playoffs and this season is no exception. He’s hitting and he’s a force on the ice.

Nicklas Backstrom, on the other hand, is 18G-31A-49P in 61 games, with anemic production during his last three playoffs of 13P in 29 games. Those stats for the #1 center are not good enough for the Caps to hold a shiny silver cup, but his first star 3P performance in game two and his overtime game winner tonight is what the Caps need.  Both Ovechkin and Backstorm scored and assisted on each other’s goals.

The stars are producing, but heart is the issue. Do the Caps want to win enough to throw it all out on the line? That’s not evident, at this point. Other teams slugging it out in the playoffs, right now, seem to have more heart than the Caps. The Caps seem to do enough to get by and that’s not good enough to win a Cup. They will play a strong game in game 2 to lose game 3 in horrendous fashion 15 seconds into overtime, when New York Islands John Tavares threw the puck at Washington Capitals goalie, Braden Holtby, multiple times, and the last one squeaked past the goal line. That shot sent the Caps to a 1-2 deficit in their first playoff series in two years. It felt like a huge letdown after Nicklas Backstrom finally tied up the game 1-1 at 13:54 in the third period.

In game one, the Caps were outmatched mentally and lost the game 4-1. They showed jitters early, but never stopped making stupid passes in the neutral zone or everywhere else on the ice during their 11 giveaway night. On a night Holtby felt ill, the Caps should have been able to help him out, but they could not stop helping the Islanders out instead. It was not a good start to the playoffs.

In game two, it took the Caps until 11:26 in the second period to score after the Islanders already scored two goals. This game started with Cal Clutterbuck when the 4^th line grinder, who scored his first NHL goal against the Caps (he’s one of many, many players with that dubious honor), scored on an odd man rush at 5:14 in the first period. The Caps first goal came courtesy of Karl Alzner and Nicklas Backstrom netted his first point on his way to a much needed three point night.

In some respects, the Caps are winning some battles, for faceoff wins and hits, but in other respects, they are losing, grit and perseverance, for instance. The intensity of the hockey being played in the NHL and the heart of the teams playing, right now, is crazy versus Caps-Isles. The difference is palpable.

Let’s go Caps!