Caps Struggling to Start the Season

Through the lockout, all the Washington Capitals wanted to do was to play hockey. All they want now is to go back to the lockout.

The young season has not been kind to the Caps who, after Sunday’s loss to Pittsburgh, have stumbled to a 2-6-1 record. With a very short camp and a new coach, the Caps were likely to struggle to start the season, but the transition has been harder than many expected and have left the team searching for answers.

So what’s gone wrong so far? A little bit of everything.

The Caps thought they were set in goal with both Braden Holtby and Michal Neuvirth, but at its best the goaltending has been inconsistent. Holtby, last season’s clutch performer has so far looked anything but. In four games, he has a whopping 4.52 GAA. He has shown none of the poise and focus of last season and his play has reflected that. Neuvirth has been the stronger of the two by far, but his mostly-solid performance has been marred by soft goals.

It is hard to put too much blame on the goalies, however, because neither is getting a lot of help. Defensively, the Caps have been a mess. Bad turnovers, bad penalties, and miscommunications have been prevalent especially from John Carlson.  Carlson has been on the ice for the vast majority of goals the team has allowed.  He has looked sluggish and out of sync with the rest of the team.  While the Caps have several bodies on defense, they have few top four defensemen.  So while Carlson has been terrible, he keeps getting top minutes; 22:52 per game, second highest on the team behind only Mike Green.

Offensively, the Caps just are not scoring. They rank 25^th in goals per game. They are creating good chances and great pressure, but that just has not translated into more scoring. Alexander Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, and Mike Green have five goals combined.  Alexander Semin may have become a punchline at the end of his tenure in DC, but he did provide the Caps with another weapon other teams had to account for.  He was a skilled winger capable of producing pionts and taking pressure off the other stars.  The Caps are missing his presence more than they expected.  They are getting secondary scoring from players like Joel Ward and Mike Ribeiro, but they need their stars to start producing.

More than anything else, it has been the mental mistakes that have hurt this team. The Caps are ranked 21^stin penalty minutes and 26^th in penalty kills. They have gotten off to poor starts and have collapsed at the end of games. When a team transitions to a new coach, these mental mistakes can happen because the players are thinking too hard. Rather than instinctively knowing what to do, players have to stop and think and that split second can mean everything.

When the Capitals have managed to put together a solid effort, you can see the makings of a good team. When they finally figure things out, this team will be much better. It is not time yet to panic in DC.

While things may not be as dire as the record may suggest that’s not to say Oates has done everything right; he’s made his share of mistakes.

Knowing what a burden the transition was going to be for the team with the abbreviated training camp, it was Oates’ responsibility to try and make that transition as seamless as possible. Moving Ovechkin from the left, where he has played his entire life, to the right while teaching him a new system in a 6-day training camp was overly-ambitious. I like the idea of trying him on the right, but that will be something to try next season after Ovechkin has a summer to get used to it.

The Caps thought they may have an advantage coming out of the lockout because Backstrom and Ovechkin had been playing with each other in Russia, but Ovechkin was playing left wing in Russia.  By switching Ovechkin to the right, you have negated whatever chemistry and familiarity the pair had built with one another.

Now Backstrom and Ovechkin are not even on the same line and Oates has struggled to find a combination that produces. In his tinkering, Oates tried for a time to match Ovechkin with Jay Beagle and Joey Crabb. This was a disaster from the start.

The season has been condensed in order to get as many games as possible in between now and April, making conditioning a major factor. It is important therefore for the team to be able to roll four lines to prevent fatigue. Spreading the grinders and energy players with the stars can bring a new energy to some of the stars and keep each line fresh. Matching Ovechkin with Beagle and Crabb, however, puts far too much pressure on Ovechkin’s shoulders. For a player who has been struggling to produce and has been criticized for trying to do too much at times, why would you put him on a line with no other offensive playmakers? With all due respect to Beagle and Crabb, this line forces Ovechkin to try and do everything himself.

The biggest problem facing the Caps now is time. If and when they finally adapt to Oates’ system, will they have dug themselves a hole they cannot get out of? Of all the seasons to have new coach, this is about as unfortunate as you can get.

When Dale Hunter took over mid-season for the Caps last year, the team lost six of their first 11 games and that was after losing 10 of their previous 15. The difference was that the Caps still had half a season left to turn things around.

It may not be time to panic, but the clock is ticking. The Caps need points and they need them now.

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Capitals Preview: Shortened Season Provides New Challenges

The most baffling work stoppage perhaps in the history of sports finally came to an end Saturday with the NHL and NHLPA’s signing of the “memo of understanding” on Saturday night. Now the Washington Capitals must fit an entire offseason of preparation into one week as they prepare for the season opener on January 19^th in Tampa Bay. Here are the big questions that face this team heading into training camp.

Can Adam Oates instill a successful system quickly?

Adam Oates takes over for Dale Hunter as the third coach for the Caps in the last year. Oates served as an assistant coach in Tampa Bay for the 2009-2010 season and in New Jersey from 2010-2012. He has been universally praised for his offensive acumen, and the hope is that he will be able to revive Alex Ovechkin and the Caps’ potent attack. His system is seen as a hybrid of Bruce Boudreu’s and Hunter’s, and I think the Caps will thrive under it. Eventually.

Oates has no head coaching experience and only a week to instill his system on his new team. With a shortened season the Caps cannot afford any growing pains that can come with a new coach. A bad first month will be much harder to recover from. The Caps went 5-5 in their first ten games under Hunter, and 11-9-1 in their first 20. They did not qualify for the playoffs until the second to last game of the season. A similar stretch this season may prove too steep a hill to climb.

Can Braden Holtby transition into a full-time NHL goalie?

Who can forget the heroics of Braden Holtby in the playoffs last season? Called upon when both Tomas Vokoun and Michal Neuvirth went down with injury, Holtby showed he was more than ready for NHL action with an impressive postseason performance. The Caps hope he can continue playing at the same level this season as a full-time, albeit for a shorter season, NHLer.

Neuvirth returns as well so expect to see a dual goalie system again. Both played during the lockout, Neuvirth in Europe and Holtby in the AHL, so both should be in game shape. One of the Caps’ main weaknesses over the past several seasons now looks to be a real strength for this team with two solid, playoff tested goalies on the roster.

Do the Caps have enough offensive weapons to make up for the loss of Alexander Semin?

In Semin’s best season with the Caps, he scored 40 goals and tallied another 44 assists. As the team hopes for a bit of an offensive revival under Oates, Semin’s goal-scoring capabilities will be sorely missed. The Caps have speed and playmakers, but without him they lack real goal-scoring depth.

The hope is that Mathieu Perrault will develop into a top scorer and Wojtek Wolski will makeup for the rest. A resurgent Ovechkin would also be nice. The three of them together can easily makeup for the absence of the fickle winger.

That’s wishful thinking.

The loss of Semin will takeaway from Ovechkin’s potency. While Semin only scored 49 goals in the past two seasons, he was someone else teams needed to account for. In clutch situations when both players would play together, teams had to be aware of both wingers at all times. Without Semin, teams will continue to key on Ovechkin. He may have been playing well in Russia, but unless Oates can devise a way to get him free from opposing defenses, he will continue struggling to produce at the level Caps fans expect and haven’t seen since 2010.

Perrault has shown great potential, but he remains incredibly inconsistent in his offensive production. I like the addition of Wolski, but I would not be surprised if McPhee is looking for more offense before the trade deadline.

Are injuries already an issue?

The Caps had a scare when they learned Nicklas Backstrom had suffered a “neck injury” while in Russia that reportedly made him feel dizzy. After seeing a concussion expert upon returning, it appears he did not suffer another concussion and should be fine for the start of the season. Still after how long he was sidelined last season, the Caps are likely to be very protective of their star center.

Brooks Laich has not participated in training camp and a report by TSN’s Bob Mckenzie says Laich could miss the first one or two weeks of the season. Laich is a great player whose leadership will be missed while he is away, but his grinding style of play is more effective in the latter months of the season. The Caps of course would prefer to have him in the lineup, but two weeks to start the season is not the end of the world.

Young defenseman Dmitry Orlov also has yet to make his debut at camp due to an upper-body injury and, according to the Washington Examiner, he will not be ready for the start of the regular season. I’m not quite sure how serious this is. No one seems to talk about it, but he’s been out since early December. He played well as a number 6 or 7 last season and I was hoping to see further development this season. Hopefully this injury will not keep him out of the Caps lineup for an extended amount of time.

Predictions?

We will learn everything we need to know about this team in the first month. This season will lack the major ups and downs of a typical 82 game schedule which means a quick start will be crucial. That’s not good news for a team with a new coach and several new key players. The team will likely lean on Ovechkin for offense and Holtby in net as they continue to learn Oates’style. If they can quickly adapt to it they can make a lot of noise in the Eastern Conference.

Unfortunately, the shortened schedule and makeup of this season really hurts a team like the Caps. They have too much talent to underachieve as badly as last season, but not enough time to put it all together and will finish second in the division yet again. They will make the playoffs, but it will not be a deep run.

The Caps will thrive under Oates eventually, but not this season.

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New Look Capitals Finding Success Where They Previous Have Fallen

The Washington Capitals tied their series with the New York Rangers at 2 Saturday with a 3-2 win.  The grinding style of play that led to the victory has become a trademark of the Caps this postseason as the team continues to redefine itself.  Previously, the Caps were a run-and-gun, offensive juggernaut who could outscore any team in the league as they coasted their way into the postseason.  Yet, the past four seasons have ended far too soon as they Caps fell victim to upset after upset.  Suddenly, the stars could not score and the team rapidly imploded.  Now with a new defensive system and a new coach, the Caps have exceeded almost everyone’s expectations.

The Caps have been a playoff team every year since 2008 but have yet to reach the conference finals despite twice being number one seed from the East and winning the President’s Trophy in 2010.  Prior to 2012, the constant of each postseason has been disappointment, most notably in 2010 when the Caps took a 3 -1 series lead over Montreal before losing in seven games in one of the biggest upsets in NHL history.  This year, after Dale Hunter took over as head coach, the Caps struggled under his tutelage and nearly missed the playoffs.  The coaching change appeared to have failed when the Caps lost 5-1 at home to Buffalo in what was thought to be the decisive game between the last 2 playoff contenders.  Yet, the Caps clawed all the way up to the seventh seed and were rewarded with a matchup against the defending Stanley Cup Champions.  Most experts I saw predicted Boston would win in five.  Yet here we are in round two, now tied at 2 with the top seeded Rangers.  What happened?

When Hunter took over the team, he preached a more defensive strategy.  The players struggled initially with it and Hunter went into the playoffs with a 30-23-8 record.  Add to these struggles injuries to the team’s top 2 goalies and hockey writers around the country began preparing their reactions for the yearly Washington collapse.  Yet, you could tell from games one and two that this was going to be different.  Facing the second best offense in the league, the Caps and rookie goalie Braden Holtby held the Bruins scoreless through 60 minutes before losing in overtime.  Rather than collapsing, the team fought back and won game two in Boston in yet another overtime game.  Two games in, and the team had allowed only two goals.  The series became the closest series in the history of the NHL before the Caps finally won it in game seven.

Not only had they won a series in which they were clearly outmatched, but it was the way they had won it that made it so noteworthy.  The team had not collapsed after not one, but two OT losses; they never trailed by more than one goal at any point; they led and still lead the playoffs in shots blocked; and they did it without relying on their top scorers.  Few playoff stories have gotten as much traction as Ovechkin’s ice time.  There are times when he has been “benched” receiving sometimes as little as a minute and a half of ice time in a single period.  Some have questioned if there was trouble in the locker room of if Hunter was sending a message, some people (myself included) ripped Hunter for taking out his best player so the other team wouldn’t have to.  The thing is…it’s working.  Hunter plays matchups and situations when it comes to his lines.  When the team is ahead, Ovechkin sits.  Does Ovechkin enjoy this setup?  No, and he has said so, but he has also said he’ll do whatever is good for the team.  Even Ovechkin’s staunchest critics will admit that he is a team player.  If the team keeps winning, he’ll keep sitting on the bench.

So far, however, the Caps have not relied on only his scoring in order to win.  The team is buying into this new system and everyone is playing two-way hockey.  The grinders are scoring big goals and the scorers are blocking shots.  Think back to game seven, the Caps won off of goals from Matt Hendricks and Joel Ward.  The team is getting contributions from everyone in their lineup.  The only player without a point so far is Jeff Schultz and he has only played 7 of 11 games.  The same effort can be seen on the other end of the ice where some of the Caps best players are giving themselves up to block shots.  Marcus Johansson has been hit in the face, Nicklas Backstrom looks unafraid despite coming back from a concussion, everyone is chipping in.  Even Alexander Semin, who consistently disappears every year come the playoffs, has turned in some gritty performances.  Did you ever in your life think anyone would describe Semin as “gritty”? 

Right now, we are watching a different kind of Capitals team.  They are finding ways to win when previously they would have found ways to lose.  While it may be fair to say that the Caps have gotten lucky with the remarkable play of Holtby in net, the Caps have seen a rookie step in before and were not able to capitalize.  In 2009, the Caps turned to rookie Semyon Varlamov after Jose Theodore was lit up for five goals and a loss in game one against New York.  The Caps still collapsed in round two, losing four out of five games to Pittsburgh after winning the first two.  Of course there’s no telling what may happen in this series.  With game five tonight in New York, the Caps may collapse and find themselves sent home in the second round yet again.  But, watching the way we have played thus far, I head into tonight’s game and this series with a renewed sense of confidence.

Caps Head Back to DC with Series Tied

Heading into the playoffs, there were a lot of question marks for the Capitals. Would the Caps be able to match Boston's physical play? Could the defense handle Boston's scoring depth? How did the Caps plan to beat Tim Thomas? Would Braden Holtby be able to handle the pressure of his first NHL playoff appearance? Well, heading back to DC, I'd say the Capitals so far have answered all of those questions and now have a chance to take the lead in a series most people gave them no shot of winning.

There is probably no bigger story so far in this series than the performance of Holtby in net. He has allowed only two goals in two overtime games against a Boston team that had the second best offense in the regular season and has a whopping .973 save percentage in the series. His unflappable demeanor was really on display yesterday when he turned in another impressive performance despite giving up the OT winner in game 1. A lot of goalies would have had trouble rebounding from that, but he looked just as cool and calm as always. He tends to give up too many rebounds and trusts too much in his stick, something that contributed to Boston's only goal Sunday, but otherwise I have been more than impressed by his performance. I knew he was good, but I did not think he was this good yet.

Boston has also been unable to take advantage of Holtby's rebounds because of how well the Caps have played defensively. They have been in great position to tap away those rebounds and shot block and it has clearly frustrated Boston's vaunted offense. They have not been pushed off the puck in their own zone, something I was concerned may happen, and they are getting an all out effort by everyone on the ice. Everyone is laying out to block shots, both Marcus Johansson and Jeff Schultz have taken pucks to the head. Even Alex Semin, a player long criticized for not always giving his best effort, contributed about four or five key defensive plays yesterday in OT. When players see someone like Semin going all out, it inspires the rest of the team. Even though he did not contribute to the score sheet yesterday, he was one of the best players on the ice.

The biggest thing the Caps need to improve on is their offense. The team only mustered 56 shots in both games, and that's including OT. There was some criticism of Alex Ovechkin, but I thought he has played well. Playing against the 6 ft 9 Zdeno Chara is a tough matchup, but he has created opportunities and matched him hit for hit. He even had an assist on Troy Brouwer's goal making a great pass to the front of the net. He needs to continue generating what he can and pushing the tempo. The other lines need to pick up the slack. I knew secondary scoring was going to be key, and as a result, Backstrom and Semin are playing on the second line away from Chara's shadow. So far, Backstrom has generated some chances and netted the OT winner yesterday, but the team will need more than 56 shots and a few chances from 8 and 19 to beat Boston.

Besides the offense, the Caps look to be in good shape. They've allowed only two goals despite playing the second best offense in the league and having a rookie goalie. They have matched Boston's physical play and tied up the series. Now, with two games down, three of the last five games are in DC. The Caps need to continue playing great defense to help Holtby, but the best thing they can do to help him is generate more offense. While the Caps have only allowed two, they have only scored two. For both games to come down to OT is putting a lot on Holtby's shoulders, despite how well he has played. Whoever can solve the other team's defense is going to be moving on to the next round.

Caps Prepare to Meet the Bruins in Round One

The Capitals and Bruins square off tonight at 7:30 to open their playoff series. This year, the Caps are playing the unfamiliar role of the underdog and will have to start quickly in Boston to have a chance. Thanks to a strong finish, the Caps qualified for the playoffs in the 81^st game and climbed into the 7^th spot on the last day of the regular season. The unfortunate reality of being in the bottom of the conference, however, is that the Caps managed to avoid a matchup with the top team in the conference and instead will now face the defending champions. If the Boston of 2011 shows up for this series, the Caps may be facing yet another early playoff exit.



To start the season, Boston had the typical Stanley Cup hangover and struggled in the opening month. They quickly rebounded and became the best team in the league by December and, despite some late season consistency issues, they have remained near the top. Offensively the Bruins tend to share the wealth. Boston was the only team this season to have six players with 20 or more goals. With scorers on their top three lines, the Bruins have the luxury of being able to cycle through all of their lines without sacrificing offensive pressure. They will, however, be playing without Nathan Horton who is suffering from a concussion. He produced in key moments last season and the Bruins may struggle to find that clutch weapon in key moments. Defensively, the Bruins are led by their big man, Zdeno Chara. He is known for shutting down opponents’ star players and is expected to matchup with Alex Ovechkin.



The Bruins, however, will only go as far as goalie Tim Thomas will allow them to go. Boston’s Stanley Cup run last season I think can be credited more to Thomas’ heroics than to anything else, as is evidenced by his winning the Conn Smythe as playoff MVP. Though he is not having the Vezina winning season he had last year, there’s no doubt he’s capable of standing on his head come playoff time. The real question in net is what the Bruins do if Thomas is injured. Normally, Thomas is backed-up by the very stout Tukka Rask, but he is currently nursing a groin injury and will not be available at least initially. That means AHL call up Anton Khudobin will be Thomas’ back up. He won’t see any action unless Thomas goes down, but it’s something to be aware of.



Calling this a rollercoaster season for the Capitals would be an understatement. Despite a 7-0 start, the Caps soon looked mediocre and it spelled the end for the long embattled Bruce Boudreau. Caps’ legend Dale Hunter took over the team and the Caps stayed on the fringe of the playoffs throughout the season only qualifying in the final week. The biggest question mark heading into this series for this team is goaltending. Tomas Vokoun has a possible season ending groin injury that will, at the very least, keep him out of action for round one. Michal Neuvirth suffered a lower body injury late in the season and though he looks closer to returning, it is unlikely he will be ready to go by tonight. That means the pressure falls on the inexperienced shoulders of Braden Holtby. The 22 year old has very limited NHL experience and no playoff experience. Though he has looked good at times, he has also showed his inexperience especially during the 5-1 loss against Buffalo. This is not unfamiliar territory for the Caps, who started the inexperienced Semyon Varlamov three years ago and Neuvirth last season, but it was a situation the Caps thought they would be able to avoid with the signing of Vokoun. The good news is that Holtby always seems to have a calm demeanor and is unlikely to fall victim to the playoff pressure, but how he will play against the physical Bruins is anybody’s guess.



Defensively, the Caps may have struggled to find any sort of defensive consistency this season and they may have trouble matching up against Boston’s offensive depth. Karl Alzner and Dmitry Orlov have played well, but I’m not quite sure how well they will handle Boston’s physicality. Mike Green has struggled immensely since his return and has not provided the spark both Hunter and General Manager George McPhee were hoping for. Roman Hamrlik could be a key blue liner, but his age is a factor. How much left does he have in the tank? Even the team’s lone all star, Dennis Wideman, has a few question marks surrounding him as he tends to be outskated in the defensive zone. The Caps will need all five players on the ice to commit themselves to playing a smart, physical defensive strategy. They cannot allow themselves to be pushed off the puck in their own zone, but cannot allow the Bruins’ physical play to frustrate them and translate into penalties.



When it comes to scoring, most people believe the story begins and ends with Ovechkin. While he has not played up to his potential this season, he really picks things up come playoff time with 50 points in 37 playoff appearances. The problem is that Ovechkin can expect to play across from Chara all series long and Chara is known for shutting down superstar opponents. Hunter will have to rearrange his lines to spread out the scoring. Don’t be surprised to see Nicklas Backstrom playing second line instead of next to Ovechkin. Hunter can’t have Chara shut down both Ovie and Backstrom, so instead I would expect Backstrom to play second line with Alex Semin. Semin can’t give the team his yearly disappearing act. Besides the obvious superstars, the Caps are going to have to rely on players like Jay Beagle and Joel Ward to match some of Boston’s physicality. Towards the end of the season, Hunter began pitting Beagle against some team’s top lines and he was very effective at shutting them down. Matching will be difficult against Boston’s balanced attack, but his physicality will be no less important. As for Ward, he was signed after his playoff heroics last season and thus far he has not come close to living up to that contract. This is what he was brought in for and this is where he needs to really pick up his game.



Looking at this matchup, things don’t look great for the Caps. Despite beating Boston three out of four times this season, Boston knows how to pick up their game in the postseason. The Caps cannot allow themselves to be bogged down by Boston’s physicality. If they do, they will be stuck on their heels in their own zone. They have to transition up and out quickly and work their offense around Chara. Secondary scoring will be key since I’m not sure how much you can expect from Ovechkin. Boston will want to forecheck and keep offensive possession. Most of all, they will try to agitate. They will be merciless in the crease, knowing the Caps will be depending on a rookie netminder. If they can keep possession in the offensive zone, they will tire the Caps out while rolling through their balanced lines and generate goals and penalties.



This series will depend on games one and two. The Caps have always played well at home and are certainly skilled enough to win at Verizon, but this is a bad matchup for them and they cannot afford to go down early. The Caps MUST steal one in Boston. If they head to DC down 2-0, they will lose in five. If they can take one in Boston, they can definitely win at least one at home and anything can happen in a 2-2 series. They need at least one in Boston to have a chance or once again fans in DC will go home feeling the season ended far too early.