|
Sharks Recap and Mid-season Report |
|
|
|
|
|
Hello Caps Fans and Hockey World,
-What a comeback! It was the first time in franchise history the Capitals have won a game after giving up an empty net goal.
-The Capitals now lead the league with seven “6 on 5” goals. Wowww. This team is clutch!
-The Capitals also are one of the league leaders in penalties. That was on full display, per usual, during the game.
-Evander Kane is on fire right now. He seems to always play well against the Caps. I hope he and Tom Wilson fight one of these days.
-The Caps PK did not look at its best yesterday. After having a PERFECT December on the PK on home ice, the Capitals went 2/4 last night and 4/6 the game before against Carolina. That is 60% kill rate in 2020. Small sample size but not good.
-Overall the Capitals played a mediocre game. I give credit to the Sharks for coming into DC for their 3rd game in four nights and playing really well. The Capitals had no business getting two points here but great teams find ways to win games!!!
-Jakub Vrana is a monster! Its so nice to watch a player development through the system and eventually find their stride in the NHL. Vrana is a future face of the franchise when Ovi and Backstrom Retire together in five years.
OK! Now on to my mid-season report:
Five Things I like:
1. General Offense – This team can score goals! They rank 4th with 3.53 goals per game. The Power Play has struggled as of late dropping to 11th in the league but they are still one of the best in biz. Anytime you have Ovi, Backstrom, Carlson working the puck on the man advantage, you are going to create and see scoring opportunities.
2. John Carlson – You have likely heard enough on him by now. He continues to produce during his fabulous season and Norris Trophy campaign. For us Caps fans, this is nothing new but to some other NHL fans this may not be as expected. He finished 5th in the Norris Voting in 17-18 and 4th in 18-19. Also, yesterday marked the 10-year anniversary of Carlson’s GWG in Overtime against Canada in the world juniors. The guy is an American Hero.
3. Penalty Kill – Last season, the Capitals ranked 24th in the league for the PK at 78.9%. This season, they have drastically improved those numbers and currently sit at 3rd with a 83.3% kill rate. They have struggled as of late but the collective effort has been tremendous. Key guys like Carl Hagelin and Siegenthaler have been the catalyst to this production. It is especially exciting to see Siegenthaler play so well. This is his first full year with the Caps after developing through our farm system. He has potential to be a future #1 Dman for Washington.
4. Goaltending Depth – Braden Holtby has gone through peaks and valleys in production this season but rebounded well in November going 8-1-1 with a .928 SV%. He dropped off again in December going 4-5 with a .884 SV%. Ilya Samsonov has been GREAT this season relative to expectations. He is pretty much top two in rookies ranks for amongst all netminders. For a minimum of five games, He is 2nd with 11 wins, 2nd in SV% (.918), 2nd in GAA (2.33) and 2nd with Games Played. It is nice to have two #1 goalies on your team. They should even up the load down the stretch in hopes of staying fresh for the playoffs. Obviously given Holtby’s pending UFA status at the end of the season, this is a story line to keep a close eye on.
5. 4TH Line production – The Capitals have cycled a couple different combos for the 4th line but they continue to create scoring opportunities. Garnet Hathway has been a great addition to the roster. At 1.5 mil/year for four years, that is a steal if he can continue to produce. He basically is filling in for Tom Wilson goon duties but also has produced 6 G, 6A. The 4th line is speedy and gritty
Five Things that Concern me:
1. Braden Holtby Inconsistency – The Holtby roller coaster continues. Sure, all goals allowed are not his fault but when he is off, man he is off. I think back to game seven against Carolina last year and Holtby did not play his best. With two separate two goal leads in the game, Holtby let some average attempts slip past him and that simply is unacceptable in a game 7 on home ice. If his struggles continue, don’t be surprised if Samsonov gets the nod in a game during the playoffs. Holtby has the 4th best playoff SV% of all time so I expect him to return to form down the stretch.
2. Penalties – holy shirts n pants does this team take a lot of penalties! They are 2nd worst in the league with 190 penalties taken and 4.34 penalties per game. Specials teams are so crucial to playoff runs and they simply cannot afford to take this many penalties if they want to have a shot at the cup.
3. Third Line Production – the production just simply isn’t there yet. Richard Panik was supposed to replace Brett Connolly but has been a letdown. Connolly deservedly got 4 years at 3.5mil/year with FLA while the Caps settled for Panik on the same terms for 2.75mil/year. Connolly has 26 P (16-10) in 42 games while Panik has 7 points (5-2) in 33 GP. Collectively this group just hasn’t jelled yet. Still plenty of time but this is currently a weakness teams can expose in a deep playoff series.
4. Facing an aggressive forecheck – The Capitals have struggled mightily when teams apply a heavy and aggressive forecheck. Teams like Columbus and Carolina have exposed at times what this can do to our 5v5 production. The Capitals rely on time and space in the defensive zone to stretch pass to streaking offensive players though the neutral zone. Most teams do this but the Capitals seem to rely on way more. By clogging up the middle and apply the forecheck, opposing teams have been able to disrupt offensive flow and force the Caps to stray away from their game plan.
5. Regular Season Dominance – Honestly this is crazy to say but the worst thing the Capitals could do is win the Presidents Trophy. Sure, it guarantees home ice…but for a team that is known for choking under pressure, this would be a heavy crown to carry into the playoffs!!! I would not at all be surprised if they win the presidents trophy and lose in the first round to Carolina again in a game 7. I don’t expect it to happen but it wouldn’t surprise me if it did. This team generally does not handle that kind of pressure well.
Every team has strengths and weaknesses. I try not to get too low on low and recognize this is normal for every team and no one is perfect. The Capitals have positioned themselves at the top of the east because they are one of the most consistent teams in the league. I am very excited to watch how the second half of the season unfolds.
Thanks for reading,
Brian S
Join the Discussion:
»