chuck
02-07-2013, 03:52 AM
c/p nhl.com
The 2011-12 season was filled with tumult for the Washington Capitals, but it ended with an admirable postseason run that fell one win shy of the Eastern Conference Finals. Coach Dale Hunter decided not to continue his reshaping of a club once known for offensive fireworks into a defense-first team, and he returned to the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League. The Capitals turned to another former star for the franchise, Adam Oates, and hoped he would be the coach who could help the team transform into one that took the best attributes from the Bruce Boudreau and Hunter era.
Ten games into Oates' tenure, little is going according to plan. The Capitals are 2-7-1 and in last place in the NHL standings. If that's not bad enough, Washington's two wins are against the Buffalo Sabres without Thomas Vanek and the Philadelphia Flyers without Scott Hartnell.
The Capitals were tied for 24th in the League in goals scored per game before Wednesday night, and 27th in goals allowed. They are the only team in the NHL without a road victory.
Washington's next chance to get one comes Thursday night, when the Capitals play at the Pittsburgh Penguins, who defeated them 6-3 at Verizon Center on Sunday.
So what are the biggest issues for the Capitals, a franchise that has reached the Stanley Cup Playoffs for five straight seasons but now faces a battle to get back into contention?
1. Goaltending
Braden Holtby was a breakout star in the 2012 playoffs. Michal Neuvirth was solid in the 2011 postseason. Each is young and inexpensive, so letting other options leave in recent years (Jose Theodore, Semyon Varlamov and Tomas Vokoun) made a lot of sense, and adding top prospect Filip Forsberg with a draft pick from the Varlamov trade looked like a coup for general manager George McPhee.
Well, Holtby has struggled and Neuvirth has been inconsistent. Among the 42 goaltenders qualified for the save-percentage leaders, Neuvirth is at No. 30 at .893 and Holtby is at No. 40 at .862. http://3.cdn.nhle.com/photos/mugs/thumb/8474651.jpg
http://1.cdn.nhle.com/capitals/images/logos/medium.png (http://capitals.nhl.com/)
Braden Holtby
Goalie - WSH
RECORD: 1-3-0
GAA: 4.52 | SVP: 0.862
Neuvirth has had games when he was clearly the team's best player (a shootout loss at the New Jersey Devils, a loss at the Toronto Maple Leafs), but he yielded a pair of soft goals Tuesday night in a 3-2 loss to the Maple Leafs. Holtby has allowed at least four goals in three of his four starts. Back when Washington's offense was the toast of the League, pundits pointed to the goaltending as a potential fatal flaw. But when the Capitals failed in the postseason, it was rarely because of the goaltending.
If this edition of the Capitals is going to reach the playoffs, the goaltenders are going to have be much better.
2. Alex Ovechkin
Ovechkin's struggle has generated far more exposure than the goaltenders', but that is part of the deal when a guy carries not only the burden of the captaincy but also has the highest salary-cap hit in the NHL.
The raw numbers tell part of the story: Ovechkin has two goals and three assists in 10 games. He has one point (an assist) at even strength. For someone who was once the dominant offensive force in the sport, and someone who is making $9 million, that is not enough production. http://3.cdn.nhle.com/photos/mugs/thumb/8471214.jpg
http://1.cdn.nhle.com/capitals/images/logos/medium.png (http://capitals.nhl.com/)
Alex Ovechkin
Left Wing - WSH
GOALS: 2 | ASST: 3 | PTS: 5
SOG: 38 | +/-: -4
But it doesn't provide the full context of Ovechkin's struggles. As David Johnson (@hockeyanalysis) of HockeyAnalysis.com points out, Ovechkin is averaging more than eight minutes of ice time at even strength per shot on goal, which is 2:29 more ice time per shot than last season and more than double the rate of one of his MVP campaigns (2008-09). Ovechkin has been trying to adjust to playing right wing. His linemates have changed often, and his most-frequent combinations have included Mike Ribeiro, Wojtek Wolski, Joey Crabb and Jay Beagle. Not listed there, of course, is the center who has spent the majority of his career feeding Ovechkin: Nicklas Backstrom.
Ovechkin has been OK on the power play, but the Capitals aren't going to be anything resembling an elite team without him and Backstrom -- who is shielded from some of the most intense criticism Ovechkin receives but is not performing as a $6.7 million center should -- leading the way.
The 2011-12 season was filled with tumult for the Washington Capitals, but it ended with an admirable postseason run that fell one win shy of the Eastern Conference Finals. Coach Dale Hunter decided not to continue his reshaping of a club once known for offensive fireworks into a defense-first team, and he returned to the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League. The Capitals turned to another former star for the franchise, Adam Oates, and hoped he would be the coach who could help the team transform into one that took the best attributes from the Bruce Boudreau and Hunter era.
Ten games into Oates' tenure, little is going according to plan. The Capitals are 2-7-1 and in last place in the NHL standings. If that's not bad enough, Washington's two wins are against the Buffalo Sabres without Thomas Vanek and the Philadelphia Flyers without Scott Hartnell.
The Capitals were tied for 24th in the League in goals scored per game before Wednesday night, and 27th in goals allowed. They are the only team in the NHL without a road victory.
Washington's next chance to get one comes Thursday night, when the Capitals play at the Pittsburgh Penguins, who defeated them 6-3 at Verizon Center on Sunday.
So what are the biggest issues for the Capitals, a franchise that has reached the Stanley Cup Playoffs for five straight seasons but now faces a battle to get back into contention?
1. Goaltending
Braden Holtby was a breakout star in the 2012 playoffs. Michal Neuvirth was solid in the 2011 postseason. Each is young and inexpensive, so letting other options leave in recent years (Jose Theodore, Semyon Varlamov and Tomas Vokoun) made a lot of sense, and adding top prospect Filip Forsberg with a draft pick from the Varlamov trade looked like a coup for general manager George McPhee.
Well, Holtby has struggled and Neuvirth has been inconsistent. Among the 42 goaltenders qualified for the save-percentage leaders, Neuvirth is at No. 30 at .893 and Holtby is at No. 40 at .862. http://3.cdn.nhle.com/photos/mugs/thumb/8474651.jpg
http://1.cdn.nhle.com/capitals/images/logos/medium.png (http://capitals.nhl.com/)
Braden Holtby
Goalie - WSH
RECORD: 1-3-0
GAA: 4.52 | SVP: 0.862
Neuvirth has had games when he was clearly the team's best player (a shootout loss at the New Jersey Devils, a loss at the Toronto Maple Leafs), but he yielded a pair of soft goals Tuesday night in a 3-2 loss to the Maple Leafs. Holtby has allowed at least four goals in three of his four starts. Back when Washington's offense was the toast of the League, pundits pointed to the goaltending as a potential fatal flaw. But when the Capitals failed in the postseason, it was rarely because of the goaltending.
If this edition of the Capitals is going to reach the playoffs, the goaltenders are going to have be much better.
2. Alex Ovechkin
Ovechkin's struggle has generated far more exposure than the goaltenders', but that is part of the deal when a guy carries not only the burden of the captaincy but also has the highest salary-cap hit in the NHL.
The raw numbers tell part of the story: Ovechkin has two goals and three assists in 10 games. He has one point (an assist) at even strength. For someone who was once the dominant offensive force in the sport, and someone who is making $9 million, that is not enough production. http://3.cdn.nhle.com/photos/mugs/thumb/8471214.jpg
http://1.cdn.nhle.com/capitals/images/logos/medium.png (http://capitals.nhl.com/)
Alex Ovechkin
Left Wing - WSH
GOALS: 2 | ASST: 3 | PTS: 5
SOG: 38 | +/-: -4
But it doesn't provide the full context of Ovechkin's struggles. As David Johnson (@hockeyanalysis) of HockeyAnalysis.com points out, Ovechkin is averaging more than eight minutes of ice time at even strength per shot on goal, which is 2:29 more ice time per shot than last season and more than double the rate of one of his MVP campaigns (2008-09). Ovechkin has been trying to adjust to playing right wing. His linemates have changed often, and his most-frequent combinations have included Mike Ribeiro, Wojtek Wolski, Joey Crabb and Jay Beagle. Not listed there, of course, is the center who has spent the majority of his career feeding Ovechkin: Nicklas Backstrom.
Ovechkin has been OK on the power play, but the Capitals aren't going to be anything resembling an elite team without him and Backstrom -- who is shielded from some of the most intense criticism Ovechkin receives but is not performing as a $6.7 million center should -- leading the way.