2010-2011 By the Tens -- Defensemen: John Erskine

John Erskine

Theme: Surprise is the greatest gift which life can grant us.
-- Boris Pasternak

Coming into the 2010-2011 season, Capitals defenseman John Erskine had never played in more than 60 games in one season, never more than 52 games in a season for one team. His career high in goals was two. He never recorded double digits in points, never took more than 50 shots on goal.

Well, wasn’t this year a nice surprise? Erskine – pigeon-holed as a “physical defenseman” of modest (by NHL standards) skills, who might have been penciled in as a 6/7 sort of defenseman for the Caps – finished the regular season having played 73 games (a career high), scoring four goals (another career high), recording seven assists (tying a career high) and 11 points (yup…career high), and had 58 shots on goal (ditto).

Oddly enough, perhaps, he did most of this offensive “damage” in the first half of the season, as his ten-game splits illustrate…

That pace he was on in the first half of the season, had he been able to extend it, might have left him as the Caps’ third leading point getter on the blue line by the end of the season (behind John Carlson and Mike Green). But Erskine reverted to form in the latter half of the season, going 1-1-2, minus-2 in the second half after going 3-6-9, plus-3 in the first half.

It would be damning with faint praise to say Erskine had a pretty good year, “given his talent level.” Uh, he’s an NHL player, which means he’s among the top couple hundred or so of his kind (job title, “hockey defenseman”) on the entire planet. Anyone reading this want to make that claim in their job? That said, the fact that Erskine had a career year in so many respects might be as much a product of players around him. By this we mean that the emergence of a John Carlson or a Karl Alzner allowed Erskine to remain more often within the confines of his productive comfort zone.

An example…John Erskine’s first year with the Capitals was the 2006-2007, one in which he played in 29 games (the low number being largely a product of missing 25 games with a broken foot). He averaged 18:02 in ice time that season. Since then, his ice time has dropped…15:42 in 2007-2008… 16:47 in 2008-2009… 15:58 in 2009-2010… 14:49 this past season. Perhaps managing Erskine’s time more closely – a luxury the Caps could indulge with Carlson and Alzner now gobbling up large chunks of time – allowed him to become more productive in a more limited role. He certainly improved in most respects from the 2009-2010 season…

In fact, Erskine’s quality of competition ranked lowest among all nine Caps defensemen playing in at least 20 games. That has been true in the previous two seasons as well, and he was next to last in the 2007-2008 season. But with less ice time, the exposure to liability was not as great.

There is another set of considerations here with Erskine. Beyond numbers, it would be hard to name a Caps defenseman who gave his “A” effort on a more consistent basis. Indirectly, this might have been evidenced by his finishing with lower than a minus-2 only once in 73 games, and only twice this season did he finish consecutive games on the minus side of the ledger. OK, last year those occurrences were “never” and “once,” but last year the Caps steamrolled teams to the tune of better than a goal-per-game winning margin. This year, with the Caps playing games with much thinner average margins of victory, a defenseman with the alleged liabilities of an Erskine would have been harder to hide, or at least hide from the numbers. Erskine accounted well for himself.

Odd Erskine Fact…Plus-11 at home, minus-10 on the road.

Game to Remember… February 16, 2011. In a game in Anaheim against the Ducks, the home team was on the long end of a 5-4 puck fest late in the second period. With 3:13 left in the frame, the Ducks’ Andy Sutton boarded Matt Hendricks. Erskine jumped in to get his pound of flesh from Sutton. He was given an instigator, a fighting major, and a ten-minute misconduct for his trouble, although he did win the fight (and Sutton got his own “two and five” for boarding and fighting). The Caps would have to kill another penalty later in that period, but they came out smoking in the third, getting a goal from Mike Knuble on a breakaway in the first minute, then getting two more (to Anaheim’s one) while holding he Ducks to five third period shots in stealing a 7-6 win. Erskine did not skate another shift after that, but maybe he played his part in kicking the Caps up a notch for the third period.

Game to Forget… November 19, 2010. The Caps were on an 8-0-1 roll when they went to Atlanta to visit the Thrashers. The Caps had just beaten Atlanta, 6-4, only five days before. But the Caps stepped in a big steaming pile, and Erskine certainly didn’t step around it. In less than 14 minutes of work he was on the ice for three goals against (his season-worst minus-3 the result) and took a late elbowing penalty in a 5-0 loss.

Post Season… Not too good. Erskine was on ice for seven of the 24 goals scored against the Caps, which in and of itself is not necessarily bad (he was a plus-1 for the post season). But he was on the ice for five of the 16 goals scored against Washington in the second round series against Tampa Bay. Given his ice time and the matchups one would want to get, that’s a high number, especially since he was on the ice for three goals scored by Sean Bergenheim. Tampa’s forward had a Drucian post season (nine goals in 16 games, four of them against the Caps), and Erskine got to see much of it from entirely too close a vantage point.

In the end, the Caps got more out of John Erskine this season than perhaps fans might have expected. Erskine was on ice for 41 goals in 73 games (by way of comparison, Mike Green was on for 40 in 49 games). On ice for 0.56 goals/game, Erskine experienced a marked drop from his being on ice for 0.64 goals against in 2009-2010. Yes, that might be a reflection of the Caps shifting to a more defensive posture generally, but Erskine wasn’t a “weak link” in that change. The post-season revealed some problems, but we think Caps fans should be more pleased with John Erskine’s contribution in the regular season portion of the 2010-2011 season.

Grade: B-

(Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images North America)

2010-2011 By the Tens -- Defensemen: John Carlson

John Carlson

Theme: Toil to make yourself remarkable by some talent or other
-- Seneca

OK, you’ve just made your NHL debut two months before your 20th birthday, then you score the game-winning goal in overtime in the World Junior Championship title game (and are named to the WJC all-star team for good measure) a few days before you turn 20 years old. You are recalled by the Caps two weeks later and finish the regular season with the big club by going plus-11 in 22 games. Then, with your team having lost its first playoff game in the post season at home and down a goal late in the third period of Game 2, in danger of going down 0-2, you score the game-tying goal with 81 seconds left and save, at least for the moment, the season (the Caps going on to win that game in overtime). After your team is eliminated in the post season, you go back down to Hershey, where not only does your team skate off with the championship, but you score the game-winning goal in the Calder Cup-clinching game.

And you’re not even “technically” a rookie in the NHL…how the hell do you top that season as you embark on your NHL rookie campaign?

Meet John Carlson, Real American Hero and Man with a Flair for the Dramatic. Absent curing cancer, solving global warming, stabilizing U.S. currency, and single-handedly winning the war on poverty (or drugs, terror, whatever), anything he did this season might be viewed as underachieving. But he is a hockey player, and a mighty fine one. Did we say he will not turn 22 until next January?

As for his 2010-2011 season, we can start with his overall numbers through his ten-game splits…

Now, let’s put them in context. Among Washington defensemen, Carlson…

-- Tied for the team lead in games played (82, with Karl Alzner)
-- Was second in goals scored (seven, to Mike Green’s eight)
-- Led the team in assists (30) and overall scoring (37 points)
-- Led in plus-minus (plus-21)
-- Led in game-winning goals (three)
-- Led in shots on goal (144)
-- Was second in total average ice time per game (22:38, among defensemen playing at least 20 games for the Caps)
-- Led in blocked shots (160)
-- Led in takeaways (60)

Among his rookie defenseman cohorts, Carlson…

-- Was the only one to play in all 82 games (P.K. Subban was next with 77 games played)
-- Tied for fourth in goals
-- Tied for second in assists
-- Finished fourth in total points
-- Tied for first in game winning goals (with Cam Fowler and Subban)
-- Was second in shots on goal (to Subban)
-- Was second in plus-minus (to Adam McQuaid)
-- Finished first in total average ice time per game
-- Finished first in blocked shots
-- Finished first in takeaways

It wasn’t all unicorns and glitter – Carlson did lead all rookie defensemen in giveaways, and only four rookie blueliners were on the ice for more goals against, but in a perverse sense even those numbers were a reflection of the responsibility placed on Carlson’s (and his usual partner, Karl Alzner’s) shoulders. If you’re out there long enough, largely facing the opponent’s best, you’re going to get beat. His rookie competitors did not as often enjoy the level of responsibility Carlson was asked to bear.

Carlson showed considerable consistency in his offensive production across his ten-game splits, and he finished strong (2-7-9, plus-7 in his last dozen games of the season while averaging almost 24 minutes a night). It led to a season that was, even if put on an equivalent games played basis, an improvement over the previous season:

Here’s the thing, though. Of 173 defensemen in the NHL who played in at least 50 games (regardless of years in the league) only 23 played against higher quality competition than did Carlson (statistics from behindthenet.ca) – higher than Drew Doughty or Shea Weber or Christian Ehrhoff or Tyler Myers, to name a few you might recognize. No rookie defenseman played to a higher level of competition than did Carlson.

Odd Carlson Fact…John Carlson played the last 33 games of the season never having skated less than 20 minutes in any of them. The next longest streak of 20-plus minute games to end the season among rookie defensemen? Seventeen (P.K. Subban).

Game to Remember…October 9, 2010. In the home opener for the Caps against the New Jersey Devils, the Caps spotted the Devils the first goal 1:49 into the game. Carlson got it back less than a minute later when he picked up a loose puck outside the Devils’ blue line, skated in, and wristed the puck past goalie Martin Brodeur and just under the crossbar for his first goal of the season. After the Devils would grab the lead once more, Carlson assisted on the next two goals (the second of which was the game winner) to give him a 1-2-3 night in a Caps 7-2 win in which Carlson earned the second star.

Game to Forget…February 25, 2011. Yes, the same game as we noted Karl Alzner might want to forget, but when you are one another’s partner, it should not be surprising. In a 6-0 loss to the New York Rangers, Carlson was on the ice for four goals against. At the other end, he attempted nine shots (two on goal) on a bizarre night when 28 of the Caps’ 72 shot attempts came from five defensemen (this was the game in which Mike Green suffered a concussion at the hands, so to speak, of Derek Stepan). None of Carlson’s shots found their mark.

Post Season…It wouldn’t appear as if Carlson had an especially bad post season (2-1-3, minus-2 in nine games), but Carlson struggled in the Rangers series (0-1-1, minus-3 in five games, on ice for four of the eight goals scored against in the series), and his two goals in the series against Tampa came in Games 3 and 4, after the Lightning had established a 2-0 advantage in games (although he was on the ice for only four of 16 goals scored against the Caps in the four games).

In the end, Carlson’s season might not have been as remarkable as the season preceding it, but he enjoyed an excellent season, nevertheless. We were leery of projecting him at even as many as 28 points when the season started. That he ended up with 37 (still in the top-35 among all defensemen) was a pleasant surprise. His ice time and quality of competition faced did not faze him, although he was a bit more out of his depth in this year’s playoffs. He was certainly worthy of being in the Calder Trophy conversation as the top rookie in the league, and he was arguably the top defenseman in this rookie class. Flashy? Perhaps not, but it is a very good foundation on which Carlson can embark on a long NHL career.

Now…about that global warming thing.

Grade: B+

That Was The Week That Was: November 14-20, By the Tens

It’s time to take a look at the week that ended last night, so let’s get to it…

Record for the week: 2-1-1

The week started relatively smooth and ended with hitting a few potholes. Wins over Atlanta and Buffalo on home ice extended the home ice record to 10-1-0 and the points streak to nine games. But all good things do come to an end, and they did in a big way in Atlanta in the rematch of the first game of the week. Three goals on five shots put an end to the competitive portion of the evening early, so it was left to the week’s last game – against Philadelphia – to make the week one of greater separation between the Caps and the rest of the East or one of decent (if unspectacular) production. In the “glass half empty” interpretation of the Flyers game, the Caps lost for the second time on home ice, the Young Guns managed only one goal and two assists, and Michal Neuvirth was not consistently sharp. In the “glass half full” interpretation, the Caps fought back from a two-goal deficit against a team that clamps down on the road, then they came back again to tie the game late in the third period after allowing a goal. In the individual pieces, you can find faults. From the “team” perspective, you can see things to make this game – and the week – seem a lot more tolerable.

Offense: 3.50/game

If there was one word to describe the Caps’ offense this week, it might be “donut.” Six first period goals, six third period goals…two in the second period. Balance was the word of the week for Caps scoring. There were 17 skaters who registered points in the four games (John Carlson and Boyd Gordon the only skaters not getting on the score sheet). Three players had four goals, and another four had three points apiece. Let’s take a look at those three players with four points – Matt Bradley, Jason Chimera, and Alexander Semin. This is not generally the group one might expect would lead the team in scoring over a week’s worth of games. As for the other Young Guns, Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom finished with three points apiece, Mike Green with two. There was some order in the goal scoring with Backstrom and Semin getting two apiece. But then again, so did David Steckel (the first time in his career he had goals in consecutive games). Ovechkin had one, and by the end of the week had three in his last ten games.


Defense: 3.75/game

If last week was not an especially good week for on the defensive side of the ledger, this one was rather grim. The Caps allowed four or more goals in three of the four games and now have allowed 33 in ten games in the month of November. This qualifies as a matter of concern, especially since there is some consistency in the volume of goals the Caps are allowing. In addition to the three games in four that the Caps allowed four or more goals this week, they have allowed three or more eight of the ten games so far this month. And here is something rather ominous in the week’s defensive numbers. No one was shutting anyone down on the blue line. A lot might be made of Tyler Sloan being on the ice for four goals in the 5-0 loss to Atlanta on Thursday, but Jeff Schultz was on the ice for seven of the 15 goals scored against the Caps this past week, Mike Green for six. John Erskine was on the ice for the fewest number – three. At first blush the thought is that the Caps miss Tom Poti, but the fact is that the in five games Poti had played this season (only one since (October 21st) the Caps allowed 16 goals (3.2/game). In 16 other games the Caps have allowed 42 goals (2.63/game). The population of games is not large enough to draw any conclusions about Poti’s value to the team so far this season on defense, but one thing we can say is that this team really needs to play better with or without him on the blue line. At the moment the other defensemen are regressing, not to mention...

Goaltending: 3.44/.893

Not a good week. The difficult time that Braden Holtby had to open the game in Atlanta dragged the save percentage under .900 for the week, but it was not as if Michal Neuvirth was making anyone forget Olaf Kolzig… or the Michal Neuvirth of October, either. If anything, Neuvirth’s week was inconsistent. The bookends of the week were not very good; he stopped only 54 of 62 shots in the two games (.871). In the middle two games he stopped 60 of 64 shots (.938). But the differences between the October and November versions of Neuvirth are rather stark:

October: 7-3-0, 2.15, .927
November: 5-0-1, 3.19, .895


Power Play: 5-15 (33.3%)

Another 33.3 percent week. That’s the good part. Getting three more chances over the four games compared to the previous week. That’s good, too. Power play goals in three of the four games…good again. Spreading the power play scoring around… Nicklas Backstrom had two of the five, Eric Fehr, Jason Chimera, and Mike Green getting the others. But where is Alex Ovechkin in all of this? So far this season he has two power play goals, both scored in the same game October 30th in a 7-2 win over Calgary. We are one-fourth of the way through the season, and Ovechkin doesn’t have a power play goal on Verizon Center ice? Odd, indeed.

Penalty Killing: 14-17 (82.4%)

The Caps allowed three power play goals in four games for the second consecutive week. The best teams on the penalty kill generally allow one or fewer in every two games (there are five such teams in the league this morning – Boston, Florida, Montreal, Tampa Bay, and Pittsburgh). Allowing power play goals to Atlanta and Philadelphia is not the worst thing to happen to a team; they rank sixth and 11th on the power play so far this season. But allowing one to Buffalo? The Sabres scored an extra-man goal in each of the two games played against the Caps so far. They rank 26th in the league on the power play. Overall, though, the Caps allowed a total of three goals on 34 shots on 17 power plays against. They allowed only two goals on 29 shots at 4-on-5 (a .931 save percentage). They certainly have the capacity to bear down and kill off these situations, and even in terms of the situations, nine of the 17 shorthanded ones came last night in one of the more curiously officiated games that the Caps have had this season. Limiting the other three opponents to a total of eight this past week is a good sign. It’s nice to be able to kill off penalties, better if you don’t have to face too many of them.

Paying the Price: 95 hits/61 blocked shots

A better week in this regard, but the blocked shots number is odd in this respect. While the Caps did record more blocked shots this week than last week, they also allowed more shots to get to the net (121). Ten shots more this week than last means, on average, giving up one more goal than you would expect (based on the usual save percentage statistics). Had that goal not allowed come last night, we would have a different tone to this post this morning.


Faceoffs: 132-257 (51.4%)

It was a bit of a drop off this week, which is an unexpected result owing to the fact that none of the three teams the Caps faced this week (Atlanta being faced twice) is over 50 percent on faceoffs for the season. In fact, if not for David Steckel (44-for-62, a 71.0 percent winning percentage), the Caps would have been 45 percent for the week against some weak teams in the circle.

Turnovers: Minus-14

If last week was not a good one in this measure, this one was just plain bad. Every turnover – a giveaway or the other team’s takeaway – is a potential scoring opportunity, and the Caps allowed more than one more per period than they had for themselves. Among the turnovers was a total of 41 giveaways for the week, leaving the Caps a little too close to the top of the league for comfort in this regard (fifth highest number, but only two from the second highest spot).

Impressions:

2-1-1 isn’t necessarily a bad record, but being shut out by a team that ranked 29th in the league in goals allowed per game (Atlanta) does not get a pass. It earned Bruce Boudreau’s comment that it was “as bad of a defeat I think I have had since I’ve been here.” In an 82-game season those games are going to creep in from time to time, even among very good teams. It is one thing to acknowledge that fact and another to accept it uncritically. To their credit the Caps fought hard the next night against the Flyers, rallying twice to send the game to overtime and, eventually, the Gimmick. For good teams, bad games come in groups of one. They do not form clusters that take up a week on the season’s schedule.

Although there are those Caps fans who will look upon this week as something of an opportunity lost (and it is reasonable to think the Caps should have beaten Atlanta and not fallen behind the Flyers twice), there is some simple arithmetic that merits mention. The Caps played four games this week and earned five points. It is a small number of games but five points in every four games will earn you 103 points in a season. There are things the Caps need to improve upon, but if that pace is the worst the Caps post in any week this season, it’s going to be a fine regular season.

That Was The Week That Was: November 7-13, By the Tens

The second week of November has come and gone, and here is how it went for the boys in red…

Record for the week: 3-0-1

This was a week full of potential land mines for the Caps. First up was the Philadelphia Flyers, who bring their own brand of nastiness to any game in which they play. The Caps showed that they could resist the temptation to play a retaliatory sort of game and ended up on the long side of a 3-2 overtime decision. Then there was the visit to Madison Square Garden, which can be intimidating for veterans, let alone the youngsters that populate a roster such as Washington’s. But the Caps came out with a 5-3 win after scoring the last three goals of the game. Tampa Bay came to town trying to impress as the new big dog on the block but skated out of town a 6-3 loser. Even in Buffalo, where the Caps played some of their worst hockey in recent memory in the second period of that game, the Caps managed a standings point in a 3-2 overtime loss. A 3-0-1 week has to be looked upon as a success.


Offense: 4.00/game

It was more of the same for the Caps last week, and by that we mean slow starts and bigger finishes. Three goals scored in the first period of the four games, five in the second period, seven in the third, and one in the two overtimes in which the Caps played. It was quite a balanced week for the Caps, too. Eleven different Caps had goals, and 17 players registered points (including all seven defensemen who played). Alexander Semin had the big week (4-4-8), with Nicklas Backstrom chipping in seven (1-6-7) and Alex Ovechkin six (1-5-6).


Defense: 2.75/game

It was not an especially good week for on the defensive side of the ledger, but in fairness the Caps played two top-ten offensive teams last week (Philadelphia, New York Rangers). Allowing those two teams a total of five goals – none of them in the third period – is a fine result. And Tampa Bay certainly has capable fire power in Steven Stamkos, Martin St. Louis, and Vincent Lecavalier. Overall the Caps continued to show an ability to keep their net clean late. Only three of the eleven goals were scored in the third period or overtime in the four games.

Goaltending: 2.70/.909

The story of the week was the play of rookie Braden Holtby. He was 1-0-1 for the week, stopping 47 of 52 shots in a pair of games that went to extra time to settle. He defeated the Flyers in his first NHL start and kept the Caps close enough to earn a point against Buffalo on a night when the skaters didn’t seem to be doing much in the way of skating. Sandwiched between those two games were a pair of wins for Michal Neuvirth, who was the beneficiary of 11 goals scored by the Caps. It provided him some margin for error while he was stopping 63 of 69 shots. What was most noteworthy about Neuvirth’s performance for the week was his stopping 23 of 25 third period shots.

Power Play: 4-12 (33.3%)

That the Caps finished the week converting one of every three power plays is a good thing. That they had only 12 chances to do so wasn’t so good. And getting a total of one chance in each of the last two games of the week was not good at all. It would be hard to improve on four goals on 17 power play shots, but the difficulty is not getting the chances to take those shots. Given that the Caps had only one power play against Buffalo, this was probably the difference in failing to secure a perfect record for the week.

Penalty Killing: 13-16 (81.3%)

It was not a bad week, but this is not the penalty killing group that started the season, either. Part of this might have been defenseman Tom Poti missing three games last week (although he was on the ice for a power play goal in his only appearance, against Tampa Bay). But it is hard to overlook that the Caps allowed 29 shots on 14 power plays over the last three games of the week (the Flyers had none on either of their two power plays in the first game of the week). Teams are getting some pretty good looks on the man advantage, and it makes the .897 save percentage for the week from the Caps’ goaltenders on the penalty kill rather impressive.


Paying the Price: 88 hits/55 blocked shots

This is an area where the Caps might not get enough credit from fans. From time to time the Caps seemed to be viewed as a physically unimpressive (or unwilling) team. But the fact is, this weeks' work left the Caps sixth in the league in hits, fifth in blocked shots.

Faceoffs: 146-for-259 (56.4%)

It was a dominating week in the circle for the Caps, who took the majority of faceoffs in each of the four games. David Steckel had a good week (67.9 percent), which is to be expected. But Nicklas Backstrom had a week that was almost as good (66.2 percent). The strong week allowed the Caps to jump back over 50 percent for the season (50.8 percent) and into 11th place in the league.

Turnovers: Minus-5

Last week was not a very good one for the Caps in this area. The result was a product of recording 40 giveaways in the four games. Perhaps that is what happens in a high-risk/high reward style the Caps frequently seem to play, but at the moment they are third in the league in total giveaways. That is offset by the fact that they are also third in takeaways, proving that the Caps giveth, and the Caps taketh away (oh, we’re gonna burn for that one).

Impressions:

3-0-1. What is so bad about that? Well, nothing, really, if the Caps are scoring four goals a game. But in all three wins the Caps allowed the first goal, and in all four of the week’s games they had to come back from second or third period deficits to earn standings points. It was indicative of a club that could dominate for 30-40 minutes of a game, but one for which the 60-minute sort of game has been infrequent.

The Young Guns had a pretty good week. Alex Ovechkin, Alexander Semin, and Nicklas Backstrom (reconstituted as the top line for much of the week) were a combined 6-15-21, plus-13 for the week. Mike Green was on the ice for only three of the 11 goals against, which isn’t a bad number considering that he averaged 26:51 in ice time for the week.

Frankly, we would be more worried about the within-game inconsistency if the calendar said “March” instead of “November.” They learned last year that peaking (like with, say, a 14-game winning streak) in January and February -- or November -- isn’t really a formula for success where post-season success might be a product of peaking at the right time and in the right way as much as it is a matter of talent.

That Was The Week That Was: October 24-30, By The Tens

Another week gone by, another week with as many questions as answers. So, what of it?...

Record for the week: 2-1-0

Sometimes it’s not the “what” as much as how you get there. For the Caps a 2-1-0 record on the road isn’t half bad, especially when one of those wins comes in a very inhospitable place for the Caps over the history of the franchise. And there was the whole “three games in three time zones” thing, which frankly, we think vastly overblown. The record reflects the inconsistency that has been a hallmark of the early going for the Caps – fine games in Carolina and (well, at least the last 40 minutes) in Calgary, sandwiched around a real stinkeroo in Minnesota in which the Caps seemed to leave their get-up-and-go at the hotel. But four points on the road in six games is nothing to sneer at.

Offense: 3.67/game

Don’t get the idea that the Caps’ offense is “back.” Not when seven of the 11 goals come in one game, and the power play still had trouble getting off the ground early in the week. Seven different Caps shared in the 11 goals this week, Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom leading with three apiece. Twelve different Caps had points. Backstrom led in total scoring with a six-point week. The cloud surrounding the silver lining is that the second line of Alexander Semin, pic-a-player, and Brooks Laich did not register a point all week. That was because they pulled a goose egg in Carolina, did ditto in Minnesota, and was broken up to re-create the 8-19-28 line in Calgary. Semin had two goals and an assist on the top line in Calgary, and Laich added an assist on what was now a Fleischmann-Laich-Knuble second line.

Defense: 1.33/game

Four goals allowed in three games on the road. Any Cap fan have a complaint with that? We surely don’t. What is almost as good is that the Caps allowed only 75 shots on goal on the week (25.0/game), shaving four shots a game off their average from the previous week. But again, a cloud. Three of the four goals came in the first period, and in both the Minnesota and Calgary game the Caps allowed the first goal. Call us greedy, but if the Caps could find a way to start games on defense the way they have been ending them, they would lead the league in lowest goals allowed per game.

Goaltending: 1.34, .947

Michal Neuvirth ended the week as one of two goalies in the league who appeared in every game his team played in so far this season (Martin Brodeur being the other). He bore up well under the workload. He had a .978 save percentage in the second and third periods of the three games this week. Neuvirth is one Cap who has grabbed opportunity by the throat and not let go.

Power Play: 3-9 (33.3%)

The power play started week as feebly as it performed the previous week when it went 0-for-11. Going 0-for-5 in the first two games of the road swing were just a couple more shovelfuls of dirt the Caps were digging out of the hole that they had been working on going back to last season. But three power play goals in barely eight-and-a-half minutes of game time (the latter two in the series coming 12 seconds apart off the stick of Alex Ovechkin) ended the week on a high note for the Caps on the man advantage. It was a case of back to basics – shooting the puck from places the shooters find comfortable, particularly Ovechkin potting one on a one timer and the other on a wrist shot, both from the friendly confines of the left wing circle. Those areas had not been too kind (or too open) for Ovechkin thus far this season.

Penalty Killing: 15-16 (93.8%)

After the struggles against Boston the previous week (allowing three in four chances in the Bruins’ home opener), the Caps returned to their stingy ways this week. The one power play goal they did allow came against what was then the best power play in the league. Efficiency-wise, this was another area one can’t find much to complain about. But yielding 16 chances in the three games is on the high side of comfort. Getting that number down to three or four will keep penalty killers fresh, both for killing penalties and for their 5-on-5 work, not to mention providing for more continuity and flow.

Paying the Price: 67 hits/49 blocked shots

The physical pace was slower than the previous week, owing to the fact that: a) the Bruins (who the Caps played twice) often initiate a more physical game, and b) the last of the three game was for all intents and purposes settled long before the second period was over. The Caps lost the hits battle for the week (67-73), but they did block more shots (49-40). In fact, the Caps blocked almost 30 percent of the oppositions’ shot attempts for the week (49-for-164).

Faceoffs: 104-for-207 (50.2%)

The Caps won the week by the slimmest of margins, and that was a product of winning 41-of-70 draws against Carolina in the first game of the week. There were good moments, but no one seemed immune to the problem of winning draws consistently. Mathieu Perreault was 7-for-22 in two games (scratched for the last one against Calgary), Tomas Fleischmann followed up an 8-for-11 effort against Carolina by going 7-for-17 in the last two games. Even David Steckel had his problems, recording two games with losing records (a combined 15-for-35) after going 13-for-17 in Carolina. What was a strength of the club last season has been a weakness so far in this one.

Turnovers: Minus-13

It was a rough week for the Caps in this regard, losing each of the individual games and the week as a whole in turnovers. The Caps had more than twice as many giveaways as did their opponents (25 vs. 12). You might think this the product of a high-risk/high-reward offense, but it had the appearance of sloppiness, too.

Impressions:

At the end of the week (through October 30th) the Caps found themselves with a 7-4-0 record for the year. In two of the games they had one of their most complete efforts (against Carolina) and one of their most dominating ones (the second period against Calgary). It was not a “complete” week by any stretch, but we did see more signs of the kind of team this could be with a little more consistency.

Some of the same problems contributed to that inconsistency, again the nicked up blue line (although Mike Green looked pretty healthy in the Calgary game, at least for taking a spill into the end boards with little apparent ill effect as much as for the three points he recorded) and the absence of second line production.

We also wonder when Michal Neuvirth is getting a break. Sure, he’s young, and he can take the physical aspects of playing a lot of games in a row (or so the theory might go). But the mental toll doesn’t strike us as healthy for a rookie goaltender. He might have to bear that sort of burden in May; asking him to bear it now might have costs down the road in that regard.

The top line got out of its funk, even a little bit before the Calgary game (it scored three of the four goals in the first two games of the week). The problem was that its being held to one goal/one point against Minnesota meant that the second and third lines had to contribute and did not. What that meant was that by the time the Caps arrived in Calgary, the second line was blown up (Semin moved up to the first line, Knuble down to the second, and Laich spending more time at center), and the third line had Eric Fehr scratched and Boyd Gordon centering that line. It lends an aura of mystery to see what this week brings as the Caps move into November.

Looking at the Caps by the Tens: The First Ten Games

The Caps played their eleventh game of the season last night in Calgary, but we will take a brief look back at the first ten of the season and how the Caps performed in that segment.

The Basics

Comparing the Caps 10-game record this year to that of last year provides the following:

So far, the differences are like night and day, or perhaps more like the Fourth of July and Arbor Day. Last season the Caps had results that suggested a lot of end-to-end fireworks, a goals per game average that reflected a high-octane offense and a goals-allowed average that suggested swiss cheese as the apt simile. This year the first ten games were much more quiet at each end of the ice, the offense producing almost three-quarters of a goal less than last year, but the defense yielding almost half a goal per game less than last season.

In other respects the differences are significant – power play (down), penalty killing (up) – and reflect the scoring differences between this year and last over the same ten games. But the real difference here is how the Caps play the individual periods. Last season the Capitals got on teams early, outscoring them 13-5 in the first 20 minutes. The fact that they allowed 12 third period goals in the first ten games last season would appear to give credence to the idea that the Caps’ defense wasn’t so much bad as it was coasting with the benefit of late leads. However, compare wins and losses. For example, in four of the six wins the Caps recorded in the first ten games last season they had leads of two or more goals four times after two periods. In those games the Caps allowed six of the 12 total third period goals they allowed. But in the four games they lost (two in regulation, two in extra time) they allowed five third period goals. They were not exactly slamming the door in those games.

This season, though, the Caps are falling behind early and often. Ten goals were allowed in the first period of games, opponents scoring at least one first period goal in eight of those first ten games. And scoring only four goals themselves, the Caps found themselves behind the eight-ball after 20 minutes seven times in ten games, taking a lead into the first intermission only twice (arguably their two best games in the first ten – a 7-2 win over New Jersey and a 3-0 win over Carolina).

The flip side of this is that the Caps are doing a much better job of clamping down on teams late. The 13 goals they allowed in the second and third periods, and in overtime through the first ten games was barely half the number they allowed (24) through last season’s first ten.

Special teams

The power play is clearly ailing, but it wasn’t as if last year’s version was gangbusters getting out of the gate. True, the 17.4 percent conversion rate last year’s power play posted after ten games is considerably better than the 10.5 percent recorded so far this season. But that 17.4 percent mark last year means that the Caps had a 26.6 percent conversion rate after those first ten last season. That the Caps are struggling with their efficiency is a cause for concern, not panic, especially in light of the performance last night in Calgary to kick off the second ten games. One thing that one might look at for improvement is getting those power play opportunities in the first place. Coincidentally, the Caps averaged almost precisely the number of power play opportunities in their first ten games (3.80) that they did all of last season (3.82). But whereas the Caps finished tied for tenth in opportunities last year, they ranked in the lower half of the standings in their first ten games so far.

The penalty kill has improved immensely with a change in focus. Last year’s passive maintain-the-box style that left them vulnerable to more energetic power play clubs has given way to a style that will pressure puck carriers at the slightest hesitation – fumbling a puck, turning their back on a defender, spending too much time looking for a pass. The early results have been pleasant. The Caps killed off the first 25 shorthanded situations they faced this season and have killed off 46 of 51 overall. However, the worrisome number on the penalty kill is this one – five. The Caps allowed five or more power play opportunities to the opposition five times in ten games and did so in each of the last three games in the first ten game segment (that number rose to four with last night’s game). While it is true that the Caps were 4-1-0 in games where they allowed five or more power play chances, three of those four wins required overtime. That might be a little too thin a margin to think comfortable as we go forward. It’s nice to have a penalty kill that can get the job done, better if you don’t have to use it too often.

Young Guns

The core of this club is well known to any Caps fan – Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, Alexander Semin, and Mike Green. The bulk of the offensive production is expected to come from this quartet. Well, their scoring was down quite substantially over the first ten games this year over the first ten last season:

Six fewer goals scored represents two-thirds of the total difference in goals between last year and this. A third of that drop in goal production represents, in part, the problems the Caps are having on the power play. Last year, these four players had a total of four power play goals after ten games. This year, they had two. But there are still the other four goals the Caps didn’t get this season that they got early last year. And it is that drop of four goals at even strength that more or less accounts for the drop in plus-minus from plus-14 in the first ten games last year to plus-11 this season for this foursome. All in all, they haven’t played badly, but neither have they jumped out of the gate.

Next Four

The “Young Guns” were the top four scorers for the Caps last season. But a club with as much firepower as the Caps gets secondary scoring, too (or at least should). The “next four” of Brooks Laich, Mike Knuble, Tomas Fleischmann, and Eric Fehr accounted for 98 goals and 202 points. All four topped 20 goals last season. The overall production of this group is little different in the first ten games (7-11-18) from that of the first ten games last season (9-9-18). But last season Fleischmann missed all of the first ten games, and Fehr did not play in four of them. Offensively, at least, this group’s productivity is a bit off from last year. But they are a plus-12 over the first ten this year, compared to plus-6 in the first ten last year. But remember those games missed last year, too, when making the comparison.

Seconds

The search for a reliable, consistent second line center continues. Tomas Fleischmann, Marcus Johansson, and Mathieu Perreault all had opportunities to grab the job by the throat, but for each the grip was weak. Combined, the trio went 4-4-8, plus-7, and that includes games in which some combination of the group played together, meaning that not all of this production was “second line” production. And this trio was brutal on faceoffs, not an insignificant responsibility for a center. Combined, this group went 75-for-193 (38.9 percent). Here is something perhaps worth keeping in mind. Of Alexander Semin’s five goals in the first ten games, only two involved assists from any of these three players (both from Mathieu Perreault). You might think that a credible second line center would have more assists given Semin’s skills in finding the net.

Goaltending

One area in which there has been improvement, at least in the numbers, has been in goaltending. Michal Neuvirth was 6-3-0, 2.17, .926 over the first ten games. Compare that to the numbers split between Jose Theodore (2-2-2, 2.55, .914) and Semyon Varlamov (4-0-0, 3.25, .884) last season. Neuvirth has on many nights been the Caps’ best player (he was one of the three stars in four of the Caps’ six wins in the first ten games). What’s more, he has kept the Caps in games early when the Caps have had difficulty getting any offensive production (four goals the first period in ten games). In the first ten games this season Neuvirth had a .902 save percentage in the first period of games, a .940 save percentage in the second, third, and overtime.

Injuries

A team dresses 18 skaters a night. Through the first ten games the Caps dressed 24 skaters, and only 13 dressed for all ten games. Only four defensemen dressed for all 10 games. Even if one expected that John Erskine and Tyler Sloan would be splitting appearances at the number six spot, you would not have expected them to share the ice in eight of the ten contests. That was the result of Mike Green missing a pair of games and Tom Poti missing six games.

In the end…

The Caps were 6-4-0 in the first ten. That’s the bottom line. The 12 points is not much removed from the ten-game total last year (6-2-2 for 14 points). It is a pace for 98 points; not the 121-point pace of last year, perhaps, but not chopped liver, either. Given the nicks and dents suffered so far, it isn’t an altogether bad place to be after ten games. But there are things to keep in mind as the Caps embark on their next ten. The power play needs to improve. Certainly the results against Calgary on Saturday were encouraging, but the Caps need to build on that.

If they are successful in that regard, it is likely to be reflected in better numbers for the Young Guns than those they put up in the first ten. You would like to see Mike Knuble shake loose, too. He hasn’t scored a goal since opening night.

In general the Caps need to get off to better starts. Yeah, they’re not out of any game with that offense, but getting outscored 10-4 in the first period generally is hard on the goalies and is no guarantee that the offense will wake up in the second and third periods.

The big problem going forward that might not be as fixable as the others is the second line center situation. Fleischmann, Perreault, and Johansson have not looked settled in that role, and it is at least an open question whether any of them will take a stronger hold on the position. How that situation unfolds will be among the more interesting things to watch as the Caps head forward to their next ten games.

That Was The Week That Was: October 17-23, By the Tens

Week 2 is in the books, and once more we’ll ask, “how did the boys do?" Again, a look at ten areas…

Record for the week: 1-2-0

After a perfect week in the first full week of play, the Caps stumbled, thanks to losing a home-and-home to the Boston Bruins. An overtime win over the Atlanta Thrashers salvaged the week, but it had to be looked at as a step back. What was most confounding was the Caps inability to get any reliable contributions from the top line. It is a result we don’t think will continue, but if the Caps are to right themselves as they take the road this week, it will have to change quickly.

Offense: 2.00/game

None of the six goals the Caps scored this week came in the first period. In fact, as the second full week comes to a close the Caps are tied for dead last with Atlanta and Ottawa in goals scored in the first period this season. It is a far cry from last season, in which the Caps led the league in first period goals. What is baffling about the overall lack of scoring is that the Caps recorded 119 shots on goal in the four games. Scoring on five percent of those shots is not a long-term recipe for success. What’s more, the first line had 39 shots on goal for the week, and neither Nicklas Backstrom, nor Alex Ovechkin, nor Mike Knuble registered a goal. They didn’t register a single point in the three games, going a combined minus-10 in the process. The high octane offense was on the side of the road for much of the week.

Defense: 3.33/game

The Caps were, if nothing else, an equal opportunity provider on defense this week. The ten goals allowed in the three games were scored by nine different players (Evander Kane getting two on Saturday). And it was another case of getting behind the eight-ball early. The Caps allowed the first goal in all three games, and in all three games trailed at the first intermission. That is a recipe for failure in this NHL, where scoring early is the most important ingredient in winning games. It wasn’t entirely a case of failure on the part of the roster. The Caps were (and are still) suffering injuries on the blue line. Mike Green missed two games, Tom Poti one. And, they are nicked on the lower half of the forward lines, contributing to a lack of continuity among those players most often charged with shutting down opponents.

Goaltending: 3.36, .885

Not a good week for either Michal Neuvirth or Semyon Varlamov. There were mitigating circumstances, Neuvirth being ill in the first Boston game and Varlamov getting his first action on no notice. Still, dealing with difficult circumstances is part of the job at this level of play, and the best one can say about it for this week is that it adds to the reservoir of experience for both young goaltenders.

Power Play: 0-11 (0.00%)

There is no way to sugar coat this at the moment. The Caps’ power play stinks on toast. You would think the Caps are getting shots from the right people. In the three games they managed 19 shots on 11 power plays, and of this number seven came off the stick of Alex Ovechkin, four from that of Alexander Semin. But it is worth noting, too, that Mike Knuble and Brooks Laich -- two players one hopes would be able to clean up loose pucks in front -- recorded a combined three power play shots on goal for the week.  Not having Mike Green in the lineup for two games (and his being at less than full-strength in the third game) no doubt hurt production. But this is still an offense that should have more success than this (19th in the league as of Sunday).

Penalty Killing: 10-14 (71.4%)

The perfect 25-for-25 came crashing to an end in Boston when the Caps allowed three power play goals on four opportunities. Atlanta managed one in six chances to give the Caps a disappointing week on the PK. Again, with the team as nicked up as they are, it is not necessarily surprising that the Caps’ perfect run came to an end. But allowing four power play goals in the last ten power play chances for the opposition is something to be concerned, if not alarmed about. In the week to come, the question will be whether the early power play success was a mirage, or if this past week was just some indigestion brought on by injuries up and down the lineup.

Paying the Price: 85 hits/39 blocked shots

It was a somewhat more physical week for the Caps, owing perhaps to the whims of the official scorer and the nature of the opponents – Boston is one of the more physical teams in the league. But the Caps did record more hits than did their opponents (85-72), and while they trailed overall in blocking shots (39-60), the percentage of shot attempts they did block (24.4 percent) was much closer to that which their opponents blocked (27.0 percent).

Faceoffs: 98-for-175 (56.0%)

Well, it was one area in which the Caps won the week. Washington won the battle in the circles in all three games, but it was their whopping 41-for-64 advantage against Atlanta that contributed to the final result. The difficulty the Caps had this week in this area was winning defensive zone draws. Tomas Fleischmann and Nicklas Backstrom don’t generally get to take a lot of this variety, but this past week they went 3-for-15 overall. Not the stuff of giving them more responsibility in this area. If not for a good week from David Steckel in this regard (14-for-20 in the defensive end), it would have been a grim week. At the other end the star was Brooks Laich, who lost only once in 11 tries in the offensive end.

Turnovers: Plus-3

Again, the calculation here is the Caps’ takeaways plus opponent giveaways, less opponents takeaways plus Caps’ giveaways. The Caps were a plus for the week, but imbedded in the number is the fact that they were guilty of 28 giveaways, eight more than their opponents. And that number was largely the product of the 16 giveaways charged to the Caps in the game against Atlanta. There were 13 different Caps charged with at least one. Well, if you’re going to do something, do it as a team.

Impressions:

At the end of the week (through October 23rd) the Caps find themselves tied for sixth in total standings points and only a single point out of the top spot in the league. Yet, this is a club of which it can be said that only once in eight games did they fire on all burners, their 7-2 win over New Jersey. That game was not played this past week. This week, the Caps did not look overwhelmed by Boston in the two losses, but it was an early-season marker to remember in that Tim Thomas – a goalie they might see down the road – has it in him to thwart the Caps’ offense.

Part of the problem this week impressed us as a technical one – not getting elevation on shots. A lot of shots this week seemed to get lost in the pads of the goaltender, especially against Thomas. That would seem to be a fixable problem. The bigger problems at the moment are two – health and the top line.

The first has the potential of casting a bad aura over the club. Injuries are the kind of things that might peck at a team all year. Caps fans of some standing might remember the 1998-1999 season in which the Caps sustained 511 man-games of injuries, scuttling their season. It’s too early to sound that alarm, but it bears watching, especially with Semyon Varlamov going down for the second time this young season.

More frustrating is the play of the top line, which frankly, isn’t pulling its weight. Their combined production compared to last season through eight games is stunning. At the moment the threesome is a combined 6-8-14, minus-7. Through eight games last season they were 13-21-34, plus-21. Had this group even approached last season’s production in the early going that they enjoyed last year, we might be talking about how the Caps were running away from the pack in the first month. At the moment, though, the Caps are the very epitome of an also-ran. They are just a part of that pack. Fortunately, there is time to remedy that situation.