Washington Capitals: 2018-2019 By the Tens -- Forwards: Tom Wilson

Tom Wilson

“An obsession is where something will not leave your mind”

― Eric Clapton

If the properties in the board game “Monopoly” were “Islanders Fans’ Heads” and “Penguins Fans’ Heads” instead of “Boardwalk” and “Park Place,” Tom Wilson would own the board with hotels on all of the properties.  If there is a player in the league who is as widely despised among fan bases as is Tom Wilson, please point that player out.  If there are players who inspire more loyalty among Caps fans than Wilson, it is a short list.

What really must fry the minds of those fans of other teams is how Wilson blossomed as a full-service contributor this season.  Yes, despite sitting out the first 16 games of the season under a suspension, he recorded 22 goals in only 63 games, the second straight seasons he obliterated his career best.  His 0.35 goals per game were more goals per game than Logan Couture (0.33), more than Phil Kessel (0.33), more than Max Pacioretty (0.33).  But in addition to his improved goal-scoring frequency, he averaged more than a minute per game on power plays (1:24) and penalty killing (2:14), both of his averages being career bests.  He led the team in hits per game (3.2), led the team’s forwards in blocked shots per game (0.8), and he was second to Lars Eller among forwards in takeaways per game (0.68 to 0.73 for Eller).

Wilson was consistent, too.  Despite that 16-game absence to start the season, only once did he not record at least five points in a ten-game segment, and that included recording five points (1-4-5) in the four games of the first segment in which he played.

Fearless’ Take… Tom Wilson came into the NHL with an edge in his game that fans of other clubs have grown to despise, but the evolution of his offensive game this season puts him in some rarefied air in franchise history.  He is one of two players who, in their first six seasons with the club, recorded at least 50 goals, at least 140 points, and at least 750 penalty minutes.  The other?  Scott Stevens.

Cheerless’ Take… Tom Wilson put up nice numbers, but his numbers against stiffer competition were not quite as impressive.  In 32 games against teams that reached the playoffs this season, he was 6-11-17, minus-1.  And for all the hitting, it was not all that clearly associated with team success.  He was credited with four or more hits 23 times this season, and the Caps were 12-9-2 in those games; they were 9-3-1 in the 13 games in which he was credited with one or no hits.

Odd Wilson Fact… If you are going to get first line minutes, you have to play those minutes, not spend them in the penalty box with your linemates stapled to the bench while others kill those penalties.  For the first time in his career, Wilson recorded fewer than ten games with at least five minutes in penalties.  OK, it was nine games, and he played in only 63 games overall, but he shaved his total almost in half from last season (17 such games out of 78 played).

Game to Remember… February 21^st at Toronto

When the Caps visited Toronto in early February, it was another homecoming for Tom Wilson, but more important, the Caps were trying to re-establish some momentum.  Since recording a three-game winning streak in early January, the Caps were 6-8-3 and had not won consecutive games in regulation over that stretch.  They could solve that last problem against the Leafs after beating the Los Angeles Kings three nights earlier. 

The teams were locked in a scoreless tie into the second period when the Caps broke on top on a power play by Alex Ovechkin.  Washington made it a two-goal lead mid-way through the period on a play started by Wilson.  Lars Eller dumped the puck down the right wing wall into the corner to the left of Toronto goalie Frederik Andersen.  Leafs defenseman Jake Gardiner was first to the puck, but he was separated from it by Tom Wilson coming from behind the Toronto net.  Eller collected the loose puck and fed it in front to Brett Connolly, who stuffed it past Andersen to put the Leafs in a deeper hole.

After Toronto got one back early in the third period to make it a one-goal game, Wilson restored the two-goal lead barely two minutes later.  With John Carlson in the penalty box on a hooking penalty, Braden Holtby made a big save on Mitch Marner to preserve the lead.  The puck came out to Eller, who led a 2-on-2 break with Wilson.  As Eller crossed the Toronto line, he fed Wilson skating down the middle.  Wilson skated in another ten feet and ripped a shot past Andersen’s blocker to make it 3-1, 6:46 into the period.  It would prove to be the game-winner, Wilson’s second of the season and his only shorthanded goal, as the Caps won, 3-2.

Game to Forget…  March 16^th at Tampa Bay

After opening their next to last road trip of the season by splitting a pair of games in Pennsylvania, losing to Pittsburgh to snap a seven-game winning streak and beating Philadelphia, the Caps headed south to Florida to meet the league’s top team in the standings. The Lightning made short work of the Caps, scoring two goals 1:58 apart mid-way through the first period and recording a third goal less than four minutes after the Caps halved the deficit to take a 3-1 lead to the first intermission.

Washington closed the gap to a goal in the second period and again in the third, but Tampa Bay added two late empty net goals for a 6-3 win.  For his part, Wilson 18:41 in ice time, recording only one shot attempt (a miss) and was minus-2.  In addition to the penalty he took that led to a Lightning power play goal, hHis frustration was reflected in logging a team-high seven hits and taking a ten-minute misconduct penalty (coincidental with Erik Cernak) in the last seconds of the contest.  It would be the last of five occasions this season that Wilson recorded more than ten minutes in penalties.

Postseason…  Tom Wilson had, by appearances, a decent postseason, going 3-2-5, plus-1, in the seven-game series against Carolina.  However, it would be deceptive and similar to that of several of his teammates.  Wilson was 3-2-5, plus-2, with nine shots on goal in four home games, but he was held without a point, was minus-1, and recorded only two shots on goal in three road contests.  On a per game basis, though, his three goals in seven games did outpace his five goals in 21 games last season, but like other Capitals, had he managed one on the road or assisted on one, we might be having an entirely different conversation than one about the postseason he just completed.

Looking ahead… Wilson is in the Capitals’ fold through the 2023-2024 season with a $5.167 million cap hit, one of four current Caps with deals extending to that season or longer (Evgeny Kuznetsov, T.J. Oshie, and John Carlson being the others).  He, Kuznetsov, and Jakub Vrana (assuming he is re-signed), none older than 26, might be considered the second wave behind Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, and John Carlson, none younger than 29, among homegrown Caps that constitute the core of the club.  It makes Wilson’s maintaining or exceeding this year’s level of production an important part of the Caps’ chances for success in the years to come.

In the end…

At the highest level of observation, Tom Wilson had a superb season.  Career highs in goals, assists, points, more special teams responsibility, maintaining a hard edge and an ability to distract and annoy opponents, not to mention their fans.  However, drilling down there seems to be more work to do in terms of being heard from more often against stiffer competition and finding home-road balance in the postseason.  However, Wilson also turned 25 years old just this March.  There is room for him to grow, but he has already justified his role as a top line, two way player.  It is a matter of continuing that upward path on his developmental arc and leaving the obsession over his style to the minds of other fans in the game of “Wilsonopoly.”

Grade: B+

Washington Capitals: 2018-2019 By the Tens -- Forwards: Jakub Vrana

Jakub Vrana

“I was taught that the way of progress was neither swift nor easy.”

-- Marie Curie

Marie Curie might be right, but there might be exceptions.  Jakub Vrana was the 13^th overall pick of the 2014 Entry Draft, and curiously enough, he is the 13th-ranked goal scorer of that class through this season.  But he might be poised to make a big leap in his production given the progress he has made in three seasons with the Caps.

Vrana appeared in 21 games two seasons ago in what was his first NHL action and posted a modest three goals and six points.  Last season he jumped to 13 goals and 27 points in 73 games and added another three goals (two of them game-winners) and eight points in the Caps’ Stanley Cup run.  This season he took another large leap, going 24-23-47, plus-20, while appearing in all 82 games.   Over those three seasons, Vrana became one of three players joining the Caps since 2005-2006 to record at least 40 goals in his first three seasons and by his age-22 season.  The others: Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom.  Not bad company.

His contributions were quite consistent, too. Vrana recorded precisely three goals in six of his eight segments, including his last five.  He had two goals in another segment and four in the other to arrive at his 24-goal total.

If anything, his goal scoring might have suffered for an odd reason that had little to do with his skill.  He recorded a single power play goal this season, that coming late in a power play (1:43 into it) in a 5-3 win over Philadelphia on January 8^th.  Vrana would seem to be a natural for being an off-wing trigger man on the power play, but the problem is that he is a left-handed shot on a power play that is “right-handed” with Alex Ovechkin, a right-handed shot, filling that role from the left wing circle where he can unleash one-timers more easily.  Vrana averaged 1:08 per game on power plays this season, seventh-highest among Capital forwards.

Despite that barrier to higher production, Vrana ended the season third on the club in goals, trailing only Ovechkin (51) and T.J. Oshie (25).  He contributed to a noteworthy balance in goal scoring, six Capitals recording between 21 and 25 goals, inclusive.

Fearless’ Take… Jakub Vrana is progressing nicely as a goal scorer in terms of production, engagement, and efficiency.  The obvious improvement is in the production itself, going from three goals in 21 games in his first season to 24 goals in 82 games this season.  But he also is being more assertive as a shooter.  In that first season he averaged 1.52 shots on goal per game.  He improved on that in each of the next two seasons – 1.82 per game last season and 1.96 shots per game this season.  But the increase in shot frequency has not diminished his efficiency.  His shooting percentage of 9.4 percent in his first season improved to 9.8 percent last year and again to 14.9 percent this season.

Cheerless’ Take… One had to like his road production this season: 15-12-27, plus-13 in 41 games, shooting at 19.0 percent.  But the flip side of that is, why couldn’t he approach these numbers on the friendly ice at Capital One Arena?  He was 9-11-20, plus-7, on home ice and shot to an 11.0 percent mark.  He was seventh on the team in home goals scored, tied for seventh in points.  The odd part of it was, three of his four game-winning goals were recorded on home ice.  If he improves in this area in the years to come while maintaining his ability to produce on the road, watch out.

Odd Vrana Fact… Of the 40 players in team history to record at least 20 goals over their first three seasons, only two have a larger share of game-winning goals in their goal totals than Jakub Vrana.  His eight game-winners among 40 goals (20.0 percent) is surpassed only by Sergei Gonchar (seven game-winners among 30 goals – 23.3 percent) and Jeff Halpern (10 game-winners among 40 goals – 25.0 percent).

Game to Remember… January 8^th vs. Philadelphia

When the Philadelphia Flyers visited Washington in early January, the Caps were trying to build some momentum, coming off a win against Detroit in the last game of a three-game road trip that broke a three-game losing streak (0-2-1).  Jakub Vrana was coming off a spotty month’s worth of games, going 3-1-4, plus-2, over a 13-game stretch from December 8^th through that win in Detroit.  He was also riding a streak in which he had only two goals over his previous 13 home games.

The Caps took a lead early, Tom Wilson scoring just 4:21 into the game.  It was largely a product of speed and hard work by Vrana, though.  Off a faceoff in the Capitals’ zone, the puck skittered into the middle where Vrana jumped on it.  In the neutral zone he chipped the puck past two defenders, then split them to chase it down in the left wing faceoff circle.  In too deep to shoot, he centered the puck for Wilson churning down the middle, and Wilson had only to redirect the pass behind goalie Mike McKenna. 

The Flyers tied the game before the teams went to the first intermission, but T.J. Oshie scored nine minutes into the second period to restore the Caps’ lead.  Two minutes after the Oshie goal, the Flyers tried to exchange the puck between teammates at the left point.  Vrana broke up the play and chased down the loose puck in the Flyers’ end, outracing Sean Couturier and breaking in alone on McKenna.  He pulled the puck to his forehand and flipped a shot over McKenna’s glove to make it 3-1, 11:22 into the period.  Four minutes later it was Vrana again, this time on a power play.  John Carlson started the scoring sequence from the right point, backing off to the middle of the ice before sending the puck to Travis Boyd at the top of the right wing circle.  Boyd relayed it deep to Vrana along the goal line extended to the left of McKenna.  Vrana tried to one-time a pass across to Alex Ovechkin closing from the other side, but the puck hit the inside of McKenna’s right pad and ricocheted into the net to make it 4-1 at the 15:55 mark.  The Flyers would get back within a goal in the third period, but the Caps got a shorthanded empty-net goal late from T.J. Oshie to seal the win, Vrana’s second goal being the game-winner.  It was his third career two-goal game and only three-point game of the 2018-2019 season.

Game to Forget…  April 6^th vs. New York Islanders

The regular season finale for the Capitals had no meaning in terms of deciding standing or seeding for the postseason, so many regulars sat out against the Islanders.  The teams played to a scoreless tie over the first period, but the Islanders scored early in the second period to take a lead they would not relinquish.  The Caps never found the equalizer, and the Islanders scored a pair of third period goals, the latter into an empty net, for a 3-0 win.  For his part, Jakub Vrana had a spotless score sheet for his 11:31 in ice time, other than displaying a minus-2 – no shots, no shot attempts, no hits, takeaways, or blocked shots.  A thoroughly forgettable effort.

Postseason…  “Disappointing” doesn’t really cover it for Jakub Vrana in the postseason.  After posting three goals and eight points in 23 games in the 2018 postseason, he did not record a point and had only eight shots on goal in the Caps’ seven-game loss to Carolina in the first round of the 2019 playoffs (he was credited with as many hits as shots on goal).  He had no shots on goal in three of the seven games and one shot on goal in two others.  He and Chandler Stephenson were the only forwards appearing in at least four games who did not record a point for the Caps.

Looking ahead… Jakub Vrana’s entry-level contract expired with this season.  He is a restricted free agent without arbitration rights.  He is something that the Caps have in short supply and perhaps not at all in their system – a player with the potential to be a high-production pure sniper who can consistently post 30 or more goals per season.  That Vrana will be signed to a new deal is all but a betting certainty, but the decision for the Caps to pursue a “bridge” deal or a longer-term extension will be what occupies their thinking. 

In the end…

Jakub Vrana was making fine progress this season.  He shook off much of the inconsistency in effort and production that appeared from time to time in his first two seasons and became one of the more reliable producers for this year’s Capitals.  But then he slammed into a playoff wall in which his contributions were not to be seen.  One player cannot shoulder the blame for a seven game loss, but it could be said of him (as it could for a few other players) that if he had contributed a goal here or there earlier in the series (Game 4, a 2-1 loss, comes to mind), it might not have come down to a Game 7.  It is the bad aftertaste in what was otherwise a rather good season for a still maturing youngster, an indication that there is still work to do in his development.

Grade: B

Washington Capitals: 2018-2019 By the Tens -- Forwards: Chandler Stephenson

Chandler Stephenson

“God is not on the side of the big battalions, but on the side of those who shoot best.”

-- Voltaire

You might not know it, but Chandler Stephenson is a member of a small class of Capitals.  Last season, his rookie year with the club, he became only the 13^th player in team history to record at least five goals and 15 points while posting a plus-minus rating of plus-ten or better in his rookie season.    He followed that up by appearing in the most games by a rookie in a single postseason in team history (24) and being only the sixth rookie in team history to record at least five points as a rookie in the postseason (he went 2-5-7; Jakub Vrana would join that list as the seventh member later in the postseason).

One might reasonably expect that Stephenson might build on that rookie season to make larger contributions as a bottom-six forward, especially with the departure of Jay Beagle in free agency.  It did not come to pass.  Stephenson recorded an assist in the Caps’ 7-0 Opening Night win over Boston, but he was languishing with a 1-3-4, minus-9, scoring line through his first 25 games.

Soon thereafter, his playing time started dropping, and his appearances became more infrequent.  Stephenson would dress for each of the Caps’ first 30 games, averaging 13:14 in ice time.  However, starting with Game 31 through Game 62 on February 23^rd, he dressed for only 25 games, and his ice time dropped to 11:20 per game while going 3-1-4, minus-2.  That game on February 23^rd was significant in that it also represented the debut of Carl Hagelin with the Caps, who the team obtained in trade two days before that game.  Stephenson was out of the lineup for the next eight games and dressed for only nine of the Caps’ last 20 regular season games, going 0-1-1, minus-3, and averaging 10:34 in ice time per game.

Fearless’ Take… Chandler Stephenson scored five goals this season.  In each of the five games he scored his goal on his only shot on goal.  Eight times in ten career games in which he scored goals, he did it on his only shots.  This includes his only career two-goal game, those goals recorded on two shots in a 5-3 win over Philadelphia on January 31, 2018.

Cheerless’ Take… It certainly was a step backward for Stephenson.  After going 6-12-18, plus-13, in 67 games in 2017-2018, he went 5-6-11, minus-13, in 64 games this season.  But there was a disturbing consistency, too.  Of 683 forwards to dress for games in the NHL over the last two seasons, only 17 have a worse on-ice shot attempt differential at 5-on-5 than Stephenson (minus-270).

Odd Stephenson Fact… Chandler Stephenson is the 14^th player in NHL history (16th occurrence) and the first player in almost 40 years to appear in at least 60 games and log no penalty minutes.   The last player to do it was Butch Goring, who appeared in 78 games for the New York Islanders in 1980-1981 without spending a single minute in the penalty box.

Game to Remember… December 21^st vs. Buffalo

Chandler Stephenson sat out two of three games before the Caps hosted the Buffalo Sabres in the week before Christmas.  He had gone without a point in five games since posting his only two-point game of the season (1-1-2) in a 6-5 loss to the Anaheim Ducks on December 2^nd.  It was a sluggish start for both teams in this game, neither of which could find the back of the net in the first period.  Buffalo got a chance to break the ice in the second period when Jonas Siegenthaler was sent to the penalty box on a tripping penalty. 

However, just seconds into the Sabres’ power play, Rasmus Ristolainen tried to keep the puck in the offensive end but failed to control it.  Nic Dowd picked it up and flipped the puck into open space in the neutral zone where Stephenson could track it down.  Collecting it behind the Buffalo defense, he skated in alone on goalie Carter Hutton, and pulling it to his forehand, he faked going blocker side and shot it back across his body over Hutton’s glove to give the Caps a 1-0 lead 2:50 into the second period. It gave the Caps a lead they would not turn over as they went on to beat the Sabres, 2-1, Stephenson finishing with the shorthanded goal, three shot attempts, a hit, two takeaways, and a plus-1 while earning the game’s third star.

Game to Forget…  October 4^th at Pittsburgh

The Caps opened the season with a dominating performance over the Boston Bruins, winning by a 7-0 margin.  But that was merely the first half of a back-to-back set of games to open the new season.  The back half of the set would be played in Pittsburgh against the Penguins, who the Caps defeated in overtime in their last visit, clinching the Eastern Conference semifinal series last spring.  As was the case in a number of recent meetings in Pittsburgh, the game devolved into a shootout.  The teams combined for five goals in the first period, the Caps taking a 3-2 lead to the intermission.  The Penguins came back to outscore the Caps, 3-1, in the second period to take a 5-4 lead to the second intermission.  Pittsburgh added to their lead early in the third period, but the Caps came back with two goals in 21 seconds by T.J. Oshie mid-way through the period to tie the game.  The Penguins would come out on top, though, getting an overtime goal from Kris Letang for the 7-6 win.

For Chandler Stephenson, it was a frustrating game.  In the midst of all the Caps’ offense, he did not record a single shot attempt, while at the other end he was on the ice for three Penguin goals.  He finished the game what was for him a season-worst minus-3.

Postseason…  It was here where the difference between seasons for Stephenson were perhaps most stark.  He dressed for six of the seven games against Carolina, but while he averaged more than 15 minutes per game in 24 games of the 2018 playoffs, he topped 12 minutes of playing time only once, that coming in the Caps’ double-overtime loss to Carolina that eliminated them.  He averaged only 10:00 per game and did not record a point.

Looking ahead… Chandler Stephenson just wrapped up the second season of a two-year/$1.3 million contract and heads into the off-season as an arbitration-eligible restricted free agent.  He could be qualified at $715,000, and given the lack of depth and contract status of prospect forwards,  he still might be a relatively inexpensive alternative to populate the bottom-six forward group.  But while two years is little to go on when trying to predict future performance, he seems stuck for the time being in a statistical sense.  Can he grow into a player who makes more frequent contributions, even for a fourth liner?  Does he resemble the player who had a solid 2018 postseason, given his role, or the one who was almost invisible in the 2019 playoffs?

In the end…

If there is such a thing as the “sophomore slump,” one could argue that Chandler Stephenson was a victim of it.  It was not that his regular season was a significant regression from what was, technically, his rookie season.  But given how he finished the season in the playoffs, the window of opportunity for taking more responsibility, and the expected (or hoped for) positive slope of a young player’s development, it was not the result one might have hoped for. 

There also was the inconsequential nature of it.  The Caps were 2-3-0 in the games in which he scored a goal, 5-4-1 in the games in which he recorded a point.  The team’s record was almost identical when he did not record a shot on goal (18-11-4) as in those in which he did record a shot (18-10-3).  They were 4-3-0 in the seven games in which he logged at least 15 minutes.  And, he was the only player in the league over the last two seasons to appear in at least 60 games and record fewer than 40 shots on goal in each season. 

Balancing that is that among 13 Caps forwards appearing in at least half the team’s games, he was on ice for fewer goals against (39) than all but four other forwards, and he did get regular turns in the penalty killing rotation, fourth among forwards in average shorthanded ice time (1:46 per game).  Still, it was more a season of a step sideways than one being a step forward.

Grade: C

Washington Capitals: 2018-2019 By the Tens -- Forwards: Devante Smith-Pelly

Devante Smith-Pelly

“If we will be quiet and ready enough, we shall find compensation in every disappointment.”

-- Henry David Thoreau

As long as hockey is played in Washington, Devante Smith-Pelly’s game-tying goal in the third period of Game 5 of last season’s Stanley Cup final will be among the most celebrated plays in team history.  It was a spring full of clutch goals for DSP.  Of the seven he had in the postseason – a career best – two were game-winners, two others tied games (including the goal in the Cup-clinching Game 5 against Vegas in the final), and one other gave the Caps a lead (the only goal he scored in a loss, in overtime to Columbus in Game 1 of the opening round series).

In addition to earning him the everlasting gratitude of Caps fans, it earned him a one-year/$1 million contract with the club last June, a raise of $350,000 over his expiring contract.  One might have thought that Smith-Pelly was going to be one of the mainstays among the bottom six forwards, lightening the burden of losing fellow forward Jay Beagle to Vancouver in free agency.  But in our prognosto last September, we were left with the “Big Question”… Can Devante Smith-Pelly use the 2018 postseason as a springboard into 2018-2019?  Two weeks after posting that prognosto and raising that question, there were ominous signs.  There were reported to be conditioning issues that put the player behind the curve in getting ready for the new season.  It would be a hole out of which Smith-Pelly found difficult to climb.

Smith-Pelly’s ten-game segments reflect those difficulties.  He managed more than two points in only one of the six segments in which he played and had none in the last two of those segments.  Although he did dress for the Caps’ first 37 games of the season, he was just 4-4-8, minus-1.  He dressed for 20 of the next 26 games, did not record a point, and posted a minus-5 rating.  On February 20^th he became an odd casualty of the trading deadline, the Caps choosing to place him on waivers to free up a roster spot and cap room in anticipation of further moves.   Smith-Pelly cleared waivers and was assigned to Hershey where he remained for the rest of the regular season, going 6-8-14, plus-2, in 20 games with the Bears.

Fearless’ Take… When he skated more, the team remained successful.  True, that might reflect the team being able to roll four lines more often, but in the 18 games in which Smith-Pelly skated at least 11:30, the Caps were 14-3-1.

Cheerless’ Take… It was a season that started bad and pretty much stayed there.  Numbers-wise, it was might have been his worst NHL season, slightly worse than the season he spent in New Jersey that ended with the second year of his contract being bought out three days before he was signed by Washington (4-5-9, minus-19, in 53 games). 

Odd Smith-Pelly Fact… Smith-Pelly managed only one point in 25 road games, a goal in a 3-2 overtime win in Colorado over the Avalanche on November 16^th.  He was one of only four players among 536 playing in at least 25 road games an only one of two forwards among 365 to play in at least 25 road games to record only one point (no player in that group was shut out).

Game to Remember… November 5^th vs. Edmonton

Devante Smith-Pelly, like many other Capitals, celebrated the Opening Night banner raising contest against the Boston Bruins by entering a crooked number on the score sheet, in his case recording an assist in a 7-0 win.  However, over his next 11 games he recorded only one more point, a goal in 6-5 Gimmick loss to the Florida Panthers on October 19^th.  Smith-Pelly wasn’t alone in dealing with a slump.  Over those first 12 games of the season the Caps were just 5-4-3, and they took a two-game losing streak into Game 13 against the Edmonton Oilers.

Washington opened the scoring early on a play started by Travis Boyd.  Skating into the Oiler zone, Boyd cut around Ryan Strome and put a shot on net that was turned aside by goalie Cam Talbot.  Smith-Pelly collected the loose puck at the goal line to the right of Talbot, circled, and threaded a pass through three Oilers to Jakub Vrana cutting down the middle.  Vrana one-timed the puck past Talbot to give the Caps a 1-0 lead 2:44 into the game.  Three minutes later, Smith-Pelly and Boyd worked together again.  Smith-Pelly started the scoring play by sweeping the puck off the stick of Strome along the right wing boards.  Boyd picked it up and circled into the slot.  He faked a shot and dropped the puck for Smith-Pelly trailing the play.  Smith-Pelly snapped a shot high over Talbot’s glove and under the crossbar to make it 2-0, 5:44 into the first period.

Although Edmonton did climb back to make it a one-goal game twice, the Caps scored a power play goal to make it a 4-2 game late in the second period and made that lead stand up for the final score.  For Smith-Pelly, the two-point game was his first and only one of the season, and it was his first and only two-point game as a Capital, regular or postseason.

Game to Forget…  November 1^st  at Montreal

It can be an occasion for a player to return to a place he called home, if only briefly, while skating for another team.  Such was the case for Smith-Pelly when the Caps visited Bell Centre in Montreal in mid-November.  Smith-Pelly skated for the Canadiens for 66 games over two seasons in 2014-2015 and 2015-2016, posting seven goals and 15 points.  And, Smith Pelly had a decent, if thin record over his career against Montreal, going 1-3-4, plus-2, in seven games.

The clubs battled back and forth, exchanging first period goals, and then throwing haymakers in the second period, Montreal scoring the first two goals of the period and the Caps replying with three to take a 4-3 lead into the third period.  The Caps looked as if they might escape with the win as the clock ticked down to three minutes remaining.  However, Smith_Pelly was one of several Caps who could not tie up Jesperi Kotkaniemi enough in front of the Caps’ net to prevent him from converting a centering pass into the tying goal with 3:03 left.  Montreal scored again in the last minute to take the lead, and then added an empty net goal to steal a 6-4 decision out from under the Caps.  Smith-Pelly finished the game with one shot on goal and was a minus-1 in 11 minutes of ice time. 

Postseason…  With the opening round of the playoffs between Washington and Carolina tied at two games apiece, the Caps recalled Smith-Pelly from Hershey.  If it was an attempt to recapture the magic he displayed in the 2018 postseason, it did not have the desired effect.  Smith-Pelly skated in Games 5-7, did not record a point, and posted two shots on goal while averaging 9:47 in ice time.

Looking ahead…

Devante Smith-Pelly’s one-year contract with the Caps is expiring.  Given the step back his game took this season after the superb postseason he had in 2018, it would appear that he will not be re-upped by the team, even though the team expressed some conditional willingness to re-sign him.  The salary cap arithmetic, given the restricted free agents that the club will have to consider, does not seem to argue for a new deal unless he takes a substantial cut in pay.  Arguing in his favor, however, is that the Capitals are thin in forward prospects who otherwise might be counted on to contribute with a smaller salary cap footprint.

In the end…

Devante Smith-Pelly is one of the more curious players in Caps history despite having been with the club only two seasons.  His regular season production has been of the sort that makes for frequent stops in a career (Washington is his fourth team in eight NHL seasons.  Even in his best statistical season in 2015-2016 (14-11-25), he played for two teams (Montreal and New Jersey).  However, in three postseason trips before this year, he had 13 goals in 50 games, including the seven he had in 24 games with the Caps in the 2018 playoff run.  It might be worth noting that he played those three postseasons for three different teams (Anaheim, Montreal, and Washington), but he is certainly capable of bigger things in the regular season than he has displayed, especially in this most recent one that has to be considered a disappointment.  It makes for a difficult decision for the Caps, one of many they will have to make this off-season. 

Grade: C-

Photo: John McDonnell/Washington Post

Washington Capitals: 2018-2019 By the Tens -- Forwards: Alex Ovechkin

Alex Ovechkin

“It is better to conquer yourself than to win a thousand battles. Then the victory is yours. It cannot be taken from you, not by angels or by demons, heaven or hell.”

-- Buddha

Since coming into the league, Alex Ovechkin has 658 goals in his career.  Leave aside for the moment whether that is the best all-time when adjusted for era.  Look at the era in which he plays.  As it is, he could have sat out the last four seasons in their entirety and still had 475 goals, a 29-goal lead on the second-leading goal scorer over the last 14 seasons (Sidney Crosby: 446).

His ability to build that sort of dominance over the field of more than a thousand skaters to dress for NHL games since 2005-2006 is due in no small part to his ability to sustain a high level of performance.  It is in that context that his 51-goal season in 2018-2019 is amazing.  It was his eighth 50-goal season, putting him behind only Mike Bossy and Wayne Gretzky in career 50-goal seasons (nine apiece).  His 51 goals included three hat tricks, tied for the league lead (with Patrik Laine and David Pastrnak).  It was the fourth time in his career he recorded at least three hat tricks in a single season and tied him with Jari Kurri for tenth place all-time in career hat tricks (23).

Ovechkin added to his all-time record in another goal scoring area as well.  He had 18 power play goals this season, making it seven consecutive seasons with at least 15 power play goals and an all-time most 11 such seasons in his career overall.   He finished the season with 247 career power play goals, tied with Luc Robitaille for fourth place on the all-time list.

And it was not as if Ovechkin padded his numbers as an inconsequential matter.  The Caps were 26-8-2 in games in which he recorded a goal, 13-2-1 in games in which he posted a power play goal.  In the skater's fundamental measure of individual success, scoring goals, Ovechkin stands alone.

Fearless’ Take… Alex Ovechkin continues to demonstrate that he is a freak of nature.  He averaged 20:55 in ice time per game while appearing in 81 games.  The last time he averaged more ice time per game was in 2010-2011, when he averaged 21:22 per game at the age of 25. He logged a total of 1,695 minutes this season, more than 150 minutes ahead of the next forward age 33 or older (33-year old Travis Zajac with 1,542 minutes).

Cheerless’ Take… Was there the faintest hint of a crack in Ovechkin’s decade-plus record of production?  He started the season with 29 goals in his first 32 games, and had folks talking about another 60-goal season and putting Wayne Gretzky’s all-time career goal scoring mark in play.   However, he had 22 goals over his last 49 games, a respectable 15^th overall in goals scored over that span, but tied with the likes of Cam Atkinson and Connor McDavid, fine players but not of the goal scoring elite Ovechkin represents, is not how one might have expected Ovechkin to finish the season.  Perhaps it was the amount of games and ice time he logged going back to last season, but when next season comes around as he turns 34 years old, one has to wonder if it is not getting to be too much.

Odd Ovechkin Fact… Since he came into the league in 2005-2006, Alex Ovechkin has been on ice for more goals than any other player, and it is not close.  In 1,084 games, he was on ice for 1,726 goals scored by the Caps, 156 more than Sidney Crosby (1,570).  His total goals for/goals against on ice differential (plus-806) also leads the league in that span of years, topping Crosby’s plus-751.

Bonus Odd Ovechkin Fact… Ovechkin was nothing if not a road warrior.  Of his 51 goals this season, 32 came on the road, tops in the league and nine more than four players tied for second place).  It gave Ovechkin a total of 330 goals scored in road games over his career, eighth-most all-time.

Game to Remember… February 5^th vs. Vancouver

In the catalogue of games over the career of Alex Ovechkin, a mid-week game against in February against a team with which the Caps do not have a particularly intense rivalry might not seem particularly memorable. What made it less noteworthy was that the opponent that evening, the Vancouver Canucks, were bouncing around the .500 mark in a season in which they would not reach the playoffs, the fourth straight year they would miss the postseason.

So, when the Caps opened the scoring three minutes into the game, it was not surprising and, under other circumstances, not a moment to take special note of.  But a moment it was.  The scoring play started with hard work by T.J. Oshie, who hounded Chris Tanev into giving up the puck inside his own blue line.  Ovechkin grabbed it and skated past Erik Gudbranson and around the back of the Vancouver net.  Coming out the other side, Ovechkin fed the puck under Gudbranson’s stick to Nicklas Backstrom closing down the middle.  Backstrom fired the puck low off goalie Jacob Markstrom’s left pad, and Oshie was there to follow up on the rebound and deposit it into the back of the net. 

The secondary assist for Ovechkin gave him 1,180 career points, passing Sergei Fedorov as the leading overall Russian-born scorer in NHL history.  It might be worth noting that Fedorov’s last NHL point was scored as a Capital, assisting on a third period power play goal by Alexander Semin that tied a game with the Florida Panthers on April 11, 2009 (the Panthers went on to win that game, 7-4).  Ovechkin was on ice for that point.

Game to Forget… February 1^st vs. Calgary

Almost as much as his goal scoring over his career, the durability of Alex Ovechkin has been impressive.  Going into this season he played in every scheduled game five times in 13 seasons, and only once – in 2009-2010 – did he miss more than four games in a season (he missed ten).  This season, he dressed for all 50 games on the calendar leading up to the All-Star Game break, making it 1,053 appearances in a possible 1,082 regular season games in his career.  However, even though the fans voted Ovechkin as the Metropolitan Division captain for the All-Star Game weekend in San Jose in late January, Ovechkin chose to decline his selection to play and captain the Metro for the All-Star Game, preferring to recharge for the regular season stretch run.  Under league rules, Ovechkin would have to sit under suspension for either the game immediately prior to or following the All-Star Game. 

Ovechkin chose to sit for the first game back after the break, the Caps hosting the Calgary Flames.   Washington came out of the break and into that game on a seven-game losing streak (0-5-2), their longest of the season.  However, the Caps rose to the occasion, largely on the efforts of the unsung.  Nic Dowd scored three minutes into the contest.  After the Flames tied it late in the first period, Dmitrij Jaskin scored with less than 30 seconds left in the frame to give the Caps a lead going to the first intermission.  The Caps added to their lead on a Tom Wilson goal in the first minute of the second period, but the Flames replied less than two minutes later to get back within a goal.  Calgary tied the game mid-way through the third period, leaving it up to Evgeny Kuznetsov to settle things in the Caps’ favor in the last minute of regulation on a power play goal, providing the final 4-3 margin.  The Caps did well with Ovechkin out, four different players recording goals and 11 different players recording points. For his part, Ovechkin after the break and one-game suspension finished the season 14-18-32 in 31 games as the Caps went 20-9-2, the fifth-best record in the league over that span. 

Postseason…  It would be hard to assign blame for the Caps’ first round exit to the effort of Alex Ovechkin.  When the Caps were eliminated in Game 7 against Carolina, Ovechkin was tied for third place in overall scoring, his nine points representing almost half of the Caps’ goal output for the series (20).  He was on ice for 13 of the 20 goals scored by the Caps and nine against (six goals for on the power play left him minus-2 for the series).  His home-road splits reflected the problems his teammates had more than his own.  His four goals scored were split evenly at home and on the road, but he did not record an assist on the road while posting five on home ice.

Looking ahead… Betting on Alex Ovechkin to go into decline has become a fool’s errand.  Players having passed their 30^th birthdays are supposed to be looking back on their best years, not posting them.  But Ovechkin is fourth in NHL history in goals scored in his 30 year old through 33 year old seasons and has more goals over that four-year span than any player in more than 30 years.  But now, we are getting to the end of this phase of Ovechkin’s career in an important respect.  He has two more years on his current contract that carries a $9.538 million annual cap hit.  Seven skaters in the league have higher cap hits, but only Corey Perry among the top 12 skaters in cap hits is older (by four months). 

Caps General Manager Brian MacLellan has said, with respect to Ovechkin and his long-time teammate Nicklas Backstrom, that “We’re going to be sentimental with Ovi and Nicky for sure…because they’ve been here forever and they’ve done what they’ve done. I think you have to be. They’ve defined this franchise. You can’t be that cold.”  It defies imagination to conceive of Ovechkin in another sweater at this point in his career, but nothing in the NHL is certain.  Wayne Gretzky played for four teams in his NHL career.  It makes one appreciate and want to hold dear the time Ovechkin has spent with this franchise and what years he has remaining.

In the end…

Perhaps more than any player of this era, including Sidney Crosby, Alex Ovechkin has been at once the face of and a fixture with the Washington Capitals.  No player has appeared in more games as a Capital than Ovechkin (1,084, fourth in games played since he entered the league in 2005-2006), and only Calle Johansson played more seasons with the club (15).  That he has done so at such a high level of production and with so few and infrequent absences from the lineup is testimony to the imprint he has on this franchise that few players of this or any era can match, let alone surpass.  It is that combination of durability and production that puts him in a class of legendary players with long tenures and who are closely associated with a team such as Gordie Howe, who skated for 25 years with the Detroit Red Wings, or Maurice Richard, who skated for 18 seasons with the Montreal Canadiens.

It would be a betting certainty that Ovechkin will not play hockey, at least not in North America, until the ripe age of 51, as Howe did.  Even playing to the age of 40 is a matter of uncertainty.  But in the here and now, the Alex Ovechkin that Caps fans are seeing is grayer and a bit less rambunctious than he was 10 years ago, but he is every bit the productive player he was then.  Even better, having realized a Stanley Cup championship, continuing to climb the all-time lists in so many statistical categories, and perhaps putting himself in the unique place of challenging for the previously thought impossible to pass record of career goals, he is past the criticism and the complaints set upon him by media and fans in his early career, and appears now to be the pure essence of a player at peace with himself and his game.

Grade: A

Washington Capitals: 2018-2019 By the Tens -- Forwards: T.J. Oshie

T.J. Oshie

“Courage, above all things, is the first quality of a warrior.”

-- Carl von Clausewitz

When T.J. Oshie finished the season with 25 goals in the 2018-2019 season, it was the third time in four seasons in Washington that he reached the 25-goal mark.  Only eight players in the history of the franchise have done it more times.  It is a quite different experience than Oshie had in seven years with the St. Louis Blues to start his NHL career, over which he only topped 20 goals once (21 in 2013-2014).  Much of it is a product of much greater efficiency.  Over those four seasons, only two players among the 218 with at least 500 shots on goal have a better shooting percentage than Oshie (17.1) – Mark Schiefele (18.0) and Brayden Point (17.2).

Oshie’s efficiency in 2018-2019 was right in line with his numbers over his career as a Capital, his 17.5 percent mark ranking 12^th among the 258 players recording at least 125 shots on goal.  He certainly came out of the gate fast, posting nine goals on 40 shots over his first 18 games (22.5 percent).  But then he was slammed to the ice in the late stages of regulation by Winnipeg’s Josh Morrissey (the whistle was never blown, and Oshie was still on the ice when the Jets scored into an empty net to secure a 3-1 win):

 

 

Oshie missed 11 games, but the Caps picked up the slack in his absence, going 9-2-0 over that stretch.  He was slow to get back to a more familiar level of production on his return, going just 2-0-2, even, over his first dozen games back in the lineup. At that point, he had perhaps his best run of games all season.  From January 8^th through March 1^st, a span of 24 games, Oshie went 10-16-26 and had nine multi-point games.  Oddly enough, the Caps were just 12-9-3 over those games.  He did taper off a bit late but still went 4-8-12, plus-2, in his last 15 games.

Fearless’ Take… Oshie’s goal scoring was a critical ingredient to the Caps’ success this season.  The team lost only once in regulation when he scored a goal (January 15^th in a 7-2 loss in Nashville to the Predators) and went 16-1-3 in the 20 games overall.  It is part of a larger pattern with Oshie.  In his four years with the Caps, they are 68-6-9 in the 83 games in which he scored a goal.

Cheerless’ Take… That T.J. Oshie is one of the toughest sonuvaguns in the NHL is beyond question.  But what that means is that there is the risk of injury.  In four years with the Caps he has missed 37 games and another three in the postseason.  The log from TSN.ca looks like this… 

• 3/28/16 - Missed 2 games (illness).
• 12/7/16 - Missed 7 games (upper body injury).
• 1/11/17 - Missed 1 game (upper body injury).
• 1/31/17 - Missed 1 game (personal reasons).
• 3/4/17 - Missed 4 games (upper body injury).
• 12/19/17 - Missed 6 games (upper body injury).
• 4/5/18 - Missed 1 game (lower body injury).
• 4/12/18 - Missed the last regular season game (undisclosed).
• 12/11/18 - Missed 11 games (upper body injury).
• 3/30/19 - Missed 1 game (illness).
• 4/24/19 - Missed the last 3 playoff games (fractured right clavicle)

It is hard to find fault with Oshie’s effort or his production.  But having just wrapped up his age 32 season with recording for the second time fewer than 70 games in a season, was this season a glimpse of things to come or just misfortune?

Odd Oshie Fact… An active Oshie meant good things generally for the Caps.  In 27 games in which Oshie recorded at least three shots on goal, the Caps were 19-4-4.  In 27 games in which he recorded one or no shots, the Caps were just 11-13-3.

Game to Remember… February 14^th at San Jose

When the Caps headed west to start their three-game California swing in mid-February, T.J. Oshie was in a bit of a goal scoring slump.  In 15 games leading up to that trip, Oshie had 15 points, but only three of them came on goals, and he was a minus-8 in the process.  However, opening the trip in San Jose against the Sharks might have been the break Oshie was looking for.  In 27 career games against the Sharks going into this contest he was 7-8-15, five of those goals having been scored in San Jose.  After the Sharks broke in front just over two minutes into the game, Oshie got the Caps even just over a minute later when he collected the rebound of an Alex Ovechkin shot beneath the goal line to the right of goalie Martin Jones and banked a shot off Jones and in to make it 1-1 3:38 into the period.

The Caps went ahead eight minutes later, Oshie starting the play by skating a loose puck out of the Caps’ end.  Carrying the puck down the right side in front of the players benches, he fed the puck to Nicklas Backstrom skating down the middle.  Backstrom returned the puck to Oshie, who crossed the blue line before feeding it across to Jakub Vrana.  From the high slot, Vrana tried to shovel the puck past Jones, but the shot was blocked in front.  Vrana followed up with the rebound and snapped the puck past Jones at the 11:33 mark to make it 2-1.  Ovechkin added to the Caps’ lead four minutes into the second period, and Oshie put the game away late in the frame.  The Caps broke out of their own end on a long pass from John Carlson to the red line and off the stick of Backstrom.  Vrana chipped the puck ahead to Oshie breaking behind the defense, whereupon Oshie deked Jones and snuck a forehand past Jones’ left pad to make it 4-1 on the way to a 5-1 win.  Oshie’s second goal was his 500^th career point in the NHL and was his third of four three-point games for the season, two of them coming against the Sharks.

Game to Forget… February 23^rd at Buffalo

The trip to Buffalo in late February was one a lot of Caps might like to forget, but for T.J. Oshie is was especially frustrating.  He was on the ice when the Sabres opened the scoring less than four minutes into the game.  He was on the ice when the Sabres scored a power play goal in the last minute of the second period to give Buffalo a 3-1 lead at the second intermission.  And after the Caps closed to within a goal less than five minutes into the third period, he was on the ice for a Sabre goal less than two minutes later that killed whatever momentum the Caps were generating.  Oshie finished the context minus-3, tied with Backstrom for team-worst, and went without a point in 15:20 of ice time. 

Postseason…  T.J. Oshie has been an important ingredient in Caps success in the regular season over his four seasons with the club, but he has been a big contributor in the postseason as well.  Through the first three games of the opening round series against Carolina, Oshie was 19-26-45 in 52 postseason games with the club, 1-1-2 in three games to open the series.  In Game 4, with Carolina nursing a 2-1 lead late in the contest, he was pushed by Warren Foegele while in pursuit of a loose puck and fell forward awkwardly into the boards.  He fractured his clavicle on the play, ending his postseason.  Carolina went on to win that game and won Game 6 and 7 in Oshie’s absence to capture the series. 

Looking ahead… T.J. Oshie has six years remaining on an eight-year/$46 million contract that will keep him a Capital through the 2024-2025 season when he will be 38 years old.  One might wonder if that contract will age well, given Oshie’s injury history. But even with that history, Oshie is one of only 29 players in franchise history to top 100 goals with the club (tied for 27^th place with Marcus Johansson at 102 goals).  With a slightly better than typical Oshie season he could break into the top-20 in all time goal scoring for the club, Alan Haworth currently occupying the 20^th spot with 129 goals.  It might be just a matter of keeping him in the lineup.

In the end…

T.J. Oshie has become a fan favorite for his production, but also his unbridled willingness to go into the hard areas of the ice and do the dirty work that a lot of skill players might be more inclined to avoid.  In his four seasons with the Caps, he is third among the team’s forwards in credited hits (486), trailing only Alex Ovechkin (803) and Tom Wilson (942), players who have at least three inches and at least 20 pounds on Oshie.  It has come at a price, though, and it might have been a high price in the opening round of this season’s playoffs.  It is not too much to imagine that Oshie’s presence would have meant more than his inspirational value cheering on the Caps over the last three game against Carolina.  Everyone hopes Oshie comes back strong and, even more, finishes strong and healthy in 2019-2020.

Grade: B

Washington Capitals: 2018-2019 By the Tens -- Forwards: Evgeny Kuznetsov

Evgeny Kuznetsov

“Never look backwards or you'll fall down the stairs.”

-- Rudyard Kipling

As the Washington Capitals were celebrating their Stanley Cup victory on the ice at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas last June, the votes were being tabulated for the Conn Smythe Trophy, awarded to the most valuable player of the postseason.  Evgeny Kuznetsov, who some thought should have won it, did not, but he did get five of 18 first-place votes and 13 second-place votes.  Valuable he was.  And what management, teammates, and fans might have hoped was that his performance in the 2018 postseason would be a springboard to a big season in 2018-2019, propelling him into the elite-of-elite strata of players in the NHL.

By that standard, and it is a high one, Kuznetsov fell short in 2018-2019.  His regular season numbers were down from last season in goals (from 27 to 21), assists (56 to 51), and points (83 to 72).  It was part of what has become a bit of an unsettling pattern with respect to Kuznetsov.  He seems to take a step (from 2014-2015 to 2015-2016) forward, but then he inches back (from 2015-2016 to 2016-2017).  Another leap forward, as in two seasons ago, and another step back, such as this season. Given that he gets largely first-line minutes and top power play ice time, one might reasonably hope for more. 

His 2018-2019 season fit that pattern in his ten-game segments.  He blasted out of the gate, going 5-10-15 in his first ten games, posting five multi-point games in that segment.  However, he regressed thereafter, going his next four segments without hitting double digits in points.  Part of that was the product of his sustaining a concussion on this play in a game against Winnipeg in mid-November:

He missed the remainder of that game and the next six contests.  However, he did come back blazing after that, going on an eight-game points streak upon his return to the lineup.  Perhaps there was a delayed effect of his injury and absence, but for whatever reason, Kuznersov’s point production dropped considerably once that streak ended.  In his last 50 games he went 14-27-41.  That is certainly a respectable level of production, but for a player seen as having elite skill, being tied for 40^th in the league in points over that span was a step back.

Fearless’ Take… For all the fits and starts to his season, Kuznetsov still finished the year with 51 assists, the third time in his career – third time in four seasons, in fact – that he finished with 50 or more assists.  Only teammate Nicklas Backstrom has more 50-plus assist seasons over the last four years (four) than Kuznetsov (tied with five other players).  And, for whatever inconsistency he might have displayed on a year to year basis, Kuznetsov now stands fifth in franchise history among the 102 skaters dressing for at least 200 games in assists per game and 15^th in points per game having not yet reached his 27^th birthday.

Cheerless’ Take…  All that is nice, but this is a player in whom the team has made a $62 million investment over eight years.  His cap hit is $1.5 million more per season than Colorado’s Nathan MacKinnon, who is one off the league lead in postseason scoring through Monday and has had consecutive 90-plus point seasons.  One has to think Kuznetsov has another level he hasn’t tapped yet.  And yeah, Peerless harps all the time about faceoffs, and yeah, they don’t matter much in the larger scheme of wins and losses.  But it can be an indicator of one’s respect for one’s craft.  The gold standard for that sort of thing is Sidney Crosby, who might be the most ruthlessly self-critical player in the history of the sport, focused on making strong those things that he might see as weaknesses – shooting, defense, and yes, faceoffs.  Only once in six seasons has Kuznetsov been over 45 percent for a season, and he was 38.7 percent this season.  Folks have noticed, but the point is whether his attitude, or at least his performance in this area is an indicator that he isn’t being all he can be in other areas, at least on a consistent basis.

Odd Kuznetsov Fact… Throw out the game against Winnipeg when he was injured and skated only 4:10, and Kuznetsov was 11-14-25, plus-5, in 18 games in which he won at least 50 percent of his faceoffs.  There were 23 occasions in which he took more than five draws in a game and won fewer than 35 percent.  He was 4-13-17 in those games.

Game to Remember… October 10^th vs. Vegas

In the Stanley Cup final against the Vegas Golden Knights, Evgeny Kuznetsov went 1-7-8, plus-5, in the five game series.  In four regular season games against the Golden Knights coming into this season, he was 1-5-6, plus-3.  So, when Vegas visited Capital One Arena in the third game of the regular season, one might have wondered if Kuznetsov could sustain the magic.  It took less than 20 minutes to get at least an indication.  On a power play late in the first period, Nicklas Backstrom stepped out from the right wing call with the puck.  As he was surveying the play, Derek Engelland flattened Brett Connolly in the slot with a cross-check to the back.  Backstrom and Kuznetsov took advantage of the commotion, Backstrom sending the puck in front as Kuznetsov was circling out to the top of the crease.  Kuznetsov redirected the puck through the legs of goalie Marc-Andre Fleury to put the Caps on top with just 34.5 seconds left in the period.

It was his deft skating and passing that set up the Caps’ second goal midway through the second period.  Skating the puck into the right wing circle, he had the presence to pull the puck back just out of the reach of defenseman Colin Miller’s stick.  He then hit Alex Ovechkin on the other side for a one-timer that made it 2-0, 9:42 into the period.  Cody Eakin got one back for Vegas before the end of the period, but the Caps went back up by a pair on a power play early in the third.  Kuznetsov occupied Backstrom’s usual spot on the right wing wall as Backstrom circled around the back of the Vegas net.  Kuznetsov inched in and threaded a pass through defenders Jon Merrill and Nick Holden onto the tape of the stick of Backstrom at the top of the crease.  Backstrom had only to turn his stick blade to redirect the pass for a 3-1 lead 5:08 into the period.  Kuznetsov earned his third primary assist of the game five minutes later, taking a pass from Brett Connolly in the neutral zone, skating the puck into the left wing circle, and faking a shot before sending a pass through defender Ryan Carpenter’s skates to Ovechkin for his second goal of the game and completing a four-point night for Kuznetsov in the 5-2 win.   It was Kuznetsov’s sixth game of four or more points in his career and the first of two he had this season.

Game to Forget… January 20^th at Chicago

Chicago has not been among Evgeny Kuznetsov’s favorite stops, if his numbers are an indication.  Although he had only three games at United Center before this season, he was just 1-0-1, minus-2, with only four shots on goal in those three games.  His fourth trip to the Windy City might have been his worst and perhaps the Caps’ worst game of the season.  Chicago scored early and often, racing out to a 3-1 lead less than 15 minutes into the game.  The Caps did close to within a goal twice, but they could not find the equalizer in an 8-5 loss.  For Kuznetsov’s part, he skated 16:44, did not record a point, suffered five blocked shot attempts, lost seven of 11 draws, and finished a team-worst minus-3.

Postseason… Kuznetsov was fine, if not dominating at home against Carolina, going 0-5-5, plus one in the first three home games of the first round series, but he was invisible on the road, not recording a point and going minus-1, even though he recorded twice as many shots on goal in Carolina (10) in three road games than he did in the first three games at Capital One Arena (five).  That left things up to Game 7 at home.  When he scored his only postseason goal, 13:22 into the second period contest, it gave the Caps a 3-1 lead.  As it turned out, it would be the last goal scored by the Caps this season, the Hurricanes winning in double overtime, 4-3.  He finished a far cry from last season’s Conn Smythe-worthy trip, finishing 1-5-6, minus-1 in seven games.

Looking ahead… Kuznetsov has six more years on his current contract, and next year will be the first year of that deal in which a modified no-trade clause provision will be in effect (source: capfriendly.com).  Not that he is going anywhere soon; Kuznetsov is as much a part of the core of this team as anyone at this point.  But he has not yet stepped up into that highest echelon of players that his skill set and occasional displays suggest he could occupy.  He has one 80-plus point season in six years with the Caps.  It will be interesting to see if this “off” year by his standards cannot serve as inspiration to make it two such seasons next year.

In the end…

Evgeny Kuznetsov might be among the top-five pure talents ever to play for the Capitals. Very few players have exhibited his combination of skating ability, speed, shooting touch, stickhandling, and passing acumen, the hockey equivalent of the “five tool” player in baseball.  When he is at the top of his game, one could count the players in the league who are better on one hand.  But there seems to be a “not quite there” part of his game that defies reasoning.  He has not put together consecutive elite seasons, and his play this season was too often frustrating, despite finishing with more than 70 points for the third time in five full seasons.  As he enters what could be the prime of his career, that kind of elite production on a consistent level will be something expected more than hoped for. 

Grade: B