One of the main gripes with the 2015--16 Minnesota Wild was their inconsistent offense. They were a team that seemed to disappear offensively for long stretches at a time. The constant argument from the fans was that they just don't have the personnel to score enough to win.
Personnel is a key ingredient to scoring goals of course, no one can deny that fact. But equally important is the style of play a team plays and adjustments they are able to make from game to game and even shift to shift or period to period.
No one will argue that the Capitals have quite an assembly of offensive talent to go along with a strong defense and great goaltending. So why have they hit a stretch of 6 games where they have managed just 9 goals, while taking 213 shots. Yes Michal Neuvirth and Matt Murray played very well in those games but they are by no means the second coming of Carey Price. The problem is the Capital game plan, it needs to go back to a more basic shoot to create rebounds and deflection opportunities.
Alex Ovechkin is teeing up rockets from the left face-off circle and firing missiles that either hit the goalie square or more often than not miss the net completely and end up ricocheting around the glass and all the way down the ice back into the Capitals defensive zone. That is a formula for disaster.
It is interesting to see the top teams struggle on offense just as the offensively challenged Minnesota Wild have done all too often. I just wonder which Caps fans are pointing the fingers at whom.
Before the fingers get pointed at individuals watch the overall team approach and question the in-game adjustments being made by the coaching staff. It isn't all the personnel that is failing, often it is the system that is to blame for the shortcomings.
On the other side of that equation is the San Jose Sharks that openly admit that their stellar powerplay is run off quick shots and getting traffic to the net. They are the team that has been most consistent thus far through the first few weeks of the playoffs, playing a very solid team game.
Chuck Fletcher is in the hunt for a new bench boss, he should be looking for a guy that can make adjustments in game and one that can utilize his entire coaching staff to get the most out of his players.
Minnesota Wild Blogger • 
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