Record: 2-0-1
The Caps finished the season with 11 consecutive weeks of going .500 or
better in earning standings points.
Their 2-0-1 week was their fourth consecutive winning week in that
regard over which they went 9-1-1. It
was all part of a finishing kick in which they went 15-2-2 after losing in
Pittsburgh on March 19th. The
three games played at home this week allowed the Caps to rehabilitate what had
been a mediocre home-ice record. They
ended their home season on a 7-0-1 run to go 15-8-1 after starting the 2013
season 8-8-0 on Verizon Center ice.
Offense: 3.00 (season: 3.04 / rank: 5th)
Over their long push to make the playoffs the Caps were led on offense
more often than not by Alex Ovechkin. He
had a good week to end the season (2-3-5) to finish atop the league rankings in
goals scored and win the Maurice Richard Trophy that goes with (he is the first
three-time winner of the trophy since it was introduced in the 1998-1999
season). This week, however, the story
was Mike Green. The defenseman finished
the week 2-3-5, led the team in shots on goal (16), and ended the season with
the most goals of any defenseman in the league – 12 in only 35 games
played. Folks have wondered if Alex
Ovechkin is “back”… more attention should be given to Green’s comeback from
injury and low production over the last two seasons.
Defense: 2.33 (season: 2.71 / rank: 18th)
The Caps had issues with shots on goal allowed all season, and this
week was no different. The 102 shots on
goal by Winnipeg, Ottawa, and Boston are consistent with the season profile
(34.0 shots/game this week, 32.3/game for the season). It puts a premium on holding teams to poor
shooting percentages, and in this respect the Caps are middle-of-the road. The 6.9 percent shooting percentage this week
was lower than that the Caps recorded for the season (8.4 percent), and allowed
the Caps to finish fifth among Eastern Conference playoff teams heading into
the playoffs (better than Pittsburgh (8.5), Montreal (9.6), and the New York
Islanders (10.0)). And it is not as if
their improved fortunes in wins and losses made a difference. The Caps allowed 32.6 shots per game in going
15-2-2 in their last 19 games
Goaltending: 2.28 / .931 (season: 2.65 / .917 / 4 shutouts)
After Week 5, Caps goaltending was not what one would call
“elite.” To that point the Caps goalies
had a cumulative 3.24 goals-against average and a .897 save percentage. Since then, things improved
significantly. This week, both Braden
Holtby and Michal Neuvirth got work, and both performed well. Holtby stopped 56 of 61 shots (.918 save
percentage), but his was a case of being good early and late with some issues
in-between. Holtby stopped 14 of 15
first period shots (.933) and 21 of 22 third period shots (.956), but he was
only 21 for 24 in the middle periods of the two games he worked this week (.875). Meanwhile, Michal Neuvirth was superb in his
first action since April 9th.
He stopped 39 of 41 shots in a 2-1 overtime loss to Ottawa. Despite the lack of work, he is 2-0-1, 1.99,
.940 in his last three appearances.
Despite serving primarily as a backup this season, he was rewarded with
a new two-year, $5.0 million contract.
Power Play: 3-7 / 42.9 percent (season: 26.8 percent / 1st)
The Caps finished their week with their seventh 30-plus percent power play
week over the last 12 weeks. It was not
a matter of consistency as much as volume.
The Caps had only one power play opportunity in each of the first two
games of the week and did not score on either of the two power play shots on
goal they had in each game. But against
Boston the Bruins took six minor penalties, four of them in the third period
(resulting in three Caps power plays) and another in overtime of the Caps’ 3-2
win. The Caps shot 3-for-12 against the
B’s to allow them to come back from a 2-0 deficit to win their season finale. Mike Green was the key. He had six power play shots on goal, two of
them coming in the third period – both of them resulting in goals – and another
three in the overtime. It was his last
one, a shot that handcuffed Boston goalie Tuukka Rask, that provided a rebound
that Eric Fehr swatted home for the win.
For the Caps, the season has been one of improvement after a slow start,
then a sustained high level of performance. It is worth noting that the 44 power play goals recorded by the Caps in 48 games exceeds their total for the entire 82-game 2011-2012 season (41).
Penalty Killing: 8-10 / 80.0 percent (season: 77.9 percent / rank: 27th)
It has been a struggle, but the Caps have made improvements in their
penalty killing as the season wore on. This week, though, they
fell into an old habit. Allow three or
more power play chances for the opponent, and things get dicey. The Caps were 2-for-3 against Winnipeg and
was 4-for-5 against Ottawa, the power play goal being the game-winner in the latter
contest. The Caps killed off both
shorthanded situations they faced against Boston to save the week. What it meant is that the Caps “three
shorthanded situations” threshold held for the season. The number of situations did not matter in
terms of efficiency – the Caps had a penalty killing rate of 78.1 percent when
facing fewer than three shorthanded situations and a rate of 77.9 percent when
facing three or more.
However, the Caps were 14-3-0 when facing fewer than three shorthanded
situations and 13-15-3 when facing three or more. The best penalty killing the Caps had this
season was staying out of the box. If
there is a sliver of a silver lining in this, here it is. In the last five games in which the Caps
faced three or more shorthanded situations they were 17-for-19. An 89.5 percent penalty killing rate is not
bad, no matter how many situations you face, and they have been improving, slow but sure, over the course of the season.
Hits/Blocked Shots: 98 / 51 (season rank: 18th / 8th)
Faceoffs: 113-197 / 57.4 percent (season: 50.8 percent / rank: T-10th)
It was a very good week for the Caps in the circle overall. It would have been a lot better without that Ottawa game. In the 2-1 overtime loss the Caps were just 46.7 percent in the offensive end, but more than that it was taking only 15 draws in the offensive zone to 29 in the defensive zone (the Caps were 20-for-29 there, 69.0 percent). For the week the Caps were excellent in the defensive zone – 46-for-76 (60.5 percent). The offensive zone could use a bit of work (37-for-56, 48.2 percent), but the real bright spot was beating the league’s best faceoff team – Boston – by a 33-25 overall margin.
Turnovers: minus-8
It looks bad, but the minus-8 is a function of having only 34 takeaways
on the week. No Cap had more than two
takeaways in any one game. Karl Alzner
had four to lead the Caps, and maybe that (and being on-ice for only one
even-strength goal against) means an up-tick in his game.
In the end…
The Caps came a long way. We
pointed out on multiple occasions the unlikelihood that they would be able to
overcome that 2-8-1 start. But overcome it they did, and they did it with a flourish in the final
week of the season, capturing five of six possible standings points and winning
the Southeast Division. For this week, the Capitals finished much better than they started and came within an
overtime slap shot of finishing the season with a perfect record for the
week. The idea of it not mattering where
you start, but where you finish is one of those sayings that is more catchy
than it is true, but sometimes it applies.
It makes one want to sing about it…
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