The six-game series features the following: CapitalsHave suffered some humbling defeatsBruinsAnd Senators). They’ve also thrilled the home crowd with a couple of scintillating third-period rallies (CanucksAnd Kings).
Indeed, at 3-3-0, it’s hard to say what, exactly, the Capitals are going to be in 2022-23. But if the first dozen days are any indication, it’s not going to be boring.
Here are 10 observations, stats trends that may help explain what’s already transpired and The team is currently on a road trip for four games.
The Caps’ first day of free agency in July was busy, with Marcus Johansson, 32-year old forward, signing a $1.1 million one-year extension. In retrospect, the depth signing has turned out to be one of GM Brian MacLellan’s shrewdest moves.
Johansson has five points (two goals, 3 assists), and is tied for the team leader. John Carlson, T.J. Oshie, Alex OvechkinAnd Evgeny Kuznetsov. Johansson has a Caps best plus-minus rating, plus-3
Johansson’s resigning was met with some dismay by his fans. He might be too busy to care about young people like them. Connor McMichael, it was a priority for the team’s decision-makers because of Johansson’s speed, experience, versatility and knowledge of the Caps’ power play.
In fact, since being promoted to the top unit three games into the season, Johansson has been one of Washington’s most productive players on the man advantage. With three points (all assists), he’s tied with Dylan StromeFor the points lead.
Marcus Johansson. (Scott Taetsch / Getty Images)
“The thing with Marcus is he knows the position well,” assistant coach Blaine Forsythe said. “He was kinda at ground level when we started it (during his first stint in D.C.). He can make plays from that goal-line location and also gets to the puck well. So if the puck is getting delivered to the net, typically he’s in a position to get a rebound or at least keep the puck active and keep us in the zone.”
“And,” Forsythe continued, “obviously, the biggest thing for Marcus is his entries. He’s one of the better players in the league, I feel like, to get the puck in the zone … and the more clean entries we get, the more time we spend in the zone so it’s important.”
Johansson said he’s not thinking about amassing points; he’s thinking about racking up wins.
“Yeah, it’s felt good,” he said after scoring the game winner vs. Los Angeles on Saturday. “But I don’t really think about the points that much. Sometimes they come in bunches, and sometimes you have to work really hard for them when it’s not going your way. It’s always fun to contribute, especially when you win. I mean, I’d trade all of the points for more points for the team.”
Alex Ovechkin’s ordinary start
Ovechkin has five points (two goals, three assists) — and four of those points came against Bruce Boudreau’s Canucks, the only team yet to register a win (0-4-2). Tampa Bay’s Steven StamkosLeads the league with seven goals
It’s far too early to be concerned, obviously. History also says Ovechkin’s shooting percentage, which is currently 9.1, is going to improve. It is not. MightBear watching. Caps captain is also the worst minus-6 in team.
Ovechkin scored seven points in the first six games of last season and was able to score a record-breaking ninth 50-goal year.
Again, it’s a very small sample size. However, it is a good example of how to use the data. Nicklas Backstrom (hip), Tom Wilson(knee and now) Connor BrownThe Caps need their big guns to succeed long-term (lower body). Kuznetsov was the same, he scored three of his five points (all assists), in the third period.
The centerpiece of the Caps’ offseason has started all but one of the Caps’ first six games, putting him on pace for 68 starts. That’s probably not going to happen, obviously. This heavy workload was intended to give the Stanley Cup champion a fresh start with a new team in the wake of a short season.
As as far as Kuemper’s performance, his numbers (.899 save percentage and 3.04 goals-against average) aren’t all that hot, as noted in our NHL goalie confidence meter survey.
But it’s probably not a reason for worry, either, as there have been a handful of extenuating circumstances working against him. Among them: too many rush chances against, a D-corps that’s already required a shakeup, a couple of fluky bounces vs. the Canucks and a penalty kill that’s still finding its way. At times, it’s also appeared as though the players in front of Kuemper are adjusting to his playing style; while he’s capable of making more high-grade stops than his predecessors, he plays deeper in his net and can be prone to allowing a few rebounds, which requires a commitment to boxing out in front as well as quick and alert sticks to clear away those loose pucks.
Like Ovechkin, it’s a small sample size. And, like Ovechkin, Kuemper’s history suggests his numbers are going to be just fine.
One more thing: Guess which goalie is ranked 33rd in save percentage, or one spot ahead of Kuemper entering Sunday’s slate of games? It’s last year’s Vezina Trophy winner Igor ShesterkinYou have a.901.
So, yeah. Goalies.
Experience required
The Caps won the game despite being two goals behind in the third period and beating the Canucks as well as the Kings.
Los Angeles won 4-3. Players pointed out the same common thread after the win. They had a been-there-done that mentality and a low pulse rate when trailing.
“It’s a little bit of maturity,” Kuemper said. “Just having that even-keel mindset where if things aren’t going your way that you’re still in it and realizing the situation down two.”
Additional Dmitry Orlov: “Probably a lot of experience.”
Johansson laughed off a reporter’s question about the Caps being old.
“We’re not old,” he shot back. “We still have some guys that can move and skate. Some D-men are back that can fly too.
“Experience is always a good thing,” he continued. “We’re missing some key pieces right now in our team and we still have guys that can go out there and pick up some big minutes. Experience plays into that, I think.”
In case you’re wondering, the Caps have the second-oldest roster in the league at 30.1 years old, per the NHL’s roster report for Sunday. Only PittsburghThe oldest person is 30.3 years.
Power surge
Before going 0-for-3 in the Kings game, the Caps powerplay had been at its best. They scored five times in the first three games, while simultaneously gaining contributions from both the units. This was after the Caps power play went 0-for-9 in its first two games.
Entering Sunday’s schedule, the Caps power play ranked 14th at 23.8 percent.
“We made a couple of adjustments,” Forsythe said. “We talked about getting the puck into the scoring area a little bit more. We felt the first couple of games, we were getting looks — they were just on the perimeter.”
Carlson echoed Forsythe’s comments about getting to the inside more. But he also said there’s been a change in mentality, too.
“We’re kind of encroaching a little bit more than we were,” Carlson said. “Not so much set up a play but find a play. Just move and find a play versus, ‘let’s drag this guy over here, let’s try to isolate this guy.’ And I think with that mindset we’ve got ourselves in better positions and got to the interior a lot more. Sometimes pucks just find their way to you, and when things go your way, then a lot of other things open up.”
John Carlson. (Danny Wild/USA Today)
Added Forsythe: “It’s been a weird two or three years. Last year, with all the injuries, we had some men that we wanted to train into those positions. With guys like Stromer and the depth we now have, there are guys who can fill those spots more easily. Last year, we might have had to stick with it a little bit more because maybe we didn’t have the personnel or the depth. But now we feel like we have that depth, that we can move guys around and be a little quicker to make adjustments.”
Forsythe was sad about the loss of Brown who was hurt against the Canucks. He had been assigned to a prominent position on the second team.
Forsythe was not shy when asked about the impact confidence has on man advantage.
“You can see it now,” he said. “When guys go on the ice, they are expecting to score.”
Short-handed struggles
The penalty kill, despite finishing 12th last season with an 80.4 percent effectiveness rate, is off to a difficult start.
Entering Sunday’s games, it ranked 30th at 66.7 percent. Only the reigning champion Avalanche(60.9%) and winless Canucks (55.6%) were worse.
The unit has allowed at least one power-play goal against four of the Caps’ six contests.
Before you yell, ‘It’s because they’re always in the box,’ take a closer look at the numbers. The Caps only received one penalty on Saturday. They are now tied for fifth-fewest penalties (18), even though they have received a lot of them in quick succession or at inopportune times.
This is another area Brown’s absence will impact. Before getting hurt, Brown was the short-handed ice time leader among forwards. In 2020-21, Brown’s five short-handed goals led the NHL.
Scott Allen, new assistant coach, has asked penalty killers to be more aggressive in the zone. Players say they’re still in an adjustment period but are confident the unit will be fine.
“We’re playing the percentages, like you see across all sports,” Nic Dowd said. “You watch it at the top, the goal is to force players to make faster plays than they want. So you’re creating turnovers, spending less time in your zone and that means there’s less of an opportunity for things to go wrong.”
“There’s always some growing pains at the beginning when you’re switching things up after doing the same thing for four years,” Dowd added. “It’ll come around. We didn’t have a lot of time to work on it (in the preseason). Scotty is an expert at this. We’ll start trending in the right direction.”
Connor McMichael’s usage
The 21-year-old has suited up for just one of the Caps’ first six games, skating 8:33 in Ottawa, after he appeared in 68 games as a rookie last season.
If that’s how he’s going to be utilized when the team is healthy, it would stand to reason that MacLellan may soon have to make a decision on what’s right for his development.
And it’s probably not spending most nights in the press box as a healthy scratch.
Take another look
The Caps entered Saturday’s game ranked 22nd in shots on goal, averaging 28.8. After 40 minutes, they only had 15.
They discussed increasing their volume between periods. They did increase their output to 17 by the end of the last frame. Four of them finished in the bottom four Jonathan Quick.
Washington is 25th in slot shots through six games Inner slot shots per game according to Sportlogiq’s data.
Embracing a “shot mentality” has been a struggle over the years for the Caps, whose highly-skilled lineup can, on occasion, be guilty of overpassing or trying to be too cutesy.
So there’s work to be done.
Sportlogiq’s team leaders
Average OZ possession time Evgeny Kuknetsov, John Carlson and Dylan Strome are at 0 minutes, 0 minutes, and 0 seconds, respectively.
Total slot shots Anthony Mantha, 8 (Alex Ovechkin 8, 8; and T.J. Oshie8, 8.
Total inner slot shots: T.J. Oshie, 6; Dylan Strome, 6; Marcus Johansson, 4.
Total rush chances: Dylan Strome, 6; Evgeny Kuznetsov, 5; Conor Sheary, 4.
T.J. Oshie (5; Dylan Strome (3; Marcus Johansson (22) have total rebound opportunities.
Total slot passes: John Carlson (9; Dmitry Orlov (8; Evgeny Kuknetsov (8)
‘Today is the first step’
Over the course 82 games, certain games mean more than other.
Some wins do, too.
Saturday’s rally against the road-weary Kings felt like one of those wins that carry a little more weight. Last week, Brown was defeated by the Canucks and the Caps won. They lost a 2-0 lead in Ottawa. They will be on a four-game roadtrip that includes stops in New Jersey and Dallas, Nashville, Carolina, and Carolina.
That’s a long-winded way of saying 3-3-0 FeelsThis is a different way of looking at 2-4-0, with a difficult stretch ahead.
“We talked about it,” coach Peter Laviolette said after beating Los Angeles. “It is obviously not the start you are looking for — you start 0-2. You don’t dream about all summer going 0-2. We have to let it go and concentrate on the four remaining games of the month. Today is the first step.”
(Top photo by Alex Ovechkin: Marc DesRosiers/USA Today)
