Washington Capitals: That Was The Week That Was - Week 8

Week 8 was good and bad for the Caps. The good was another winning week, the bad was losing on a third period collapse and an inability to hold third period leads.  Despite the ups and downs, the Caps still sat atop the Metropolitan Division.

 

Record (2-1-1)

The Caps completed their seventh winning week in Week 8, a testament to their consistency, even in the face of injuries that decimated their second line and punched holes elsewhere among the forward lines.  The consistency has allowed the Caps to occupy the top spot in the Metropolitan Division uninterrupted since November 28^th.  It is a good thing, too, the Caps finishing the week clinging to a one-point lead over the New York Rangers in the Metropolitan Division.

Offense: 3.50 / game (season: 3.52 / 5th)

The Caps had a very balanced offense in Week 8.  Eleven different skaters had goals, three of them with two apiece – Alex Ovechkin, Aliaksei Protas, and Garnet Hathaway.  Sixteen skaters posted points, John Carlson and Dmitry Orlov leading all skaters with four apiece.  Speaking of defensemen, the Caps dressed eight defensemen in Week 8, and five of them had points, three – Carlson, Orlov, and Nick Jensen – recording goals.  Five of the defensemen had plus ratings for the week, let by Carlson and Orlov, each with a plus-4.  Jensen and Orlov finished the week second and third, respectively, in the league’s plus-minus ratings, Jensen at plus-20 and Orlov at plus-19.

Defense: 2.75 / game (season: 2.44 / 4th)

The Capitals, who have been at or near the top of the league in fewest shots on goal allowed per game for most of the season, were lit up for 32.3 shots allowed per game in Week 8, 16^th in the league in fewest shots allowed.  The 188 shot attempts allowed at 5-on-5 were fifth-most in the league for the week.

Thirteen of 23 skaters for the week had positive goal differentials at even strength, led by John Carlson at plus five.  On the defensive side of that category, Tom Wilson was the only skater to appear in all four games and not be on ice for a single goal against at even strength.  Trevor van Riemsdyk struggled some in this area, a minus-2 in goal differential at evens and on ice for a team high four even strength goals against. 

Goaltending: 2.70 / .915 (season: 2.48 / .911)

Ilya Samsonov took a tighter grip on the number one goaltending spot in Week 8 with a 2-1-0, 2.39, .917 week.  There was the collapse in the third period against Florida in which he allowed four goals on 27 shots, but that was as much a team-wide collapse in defense as it was Samsonov’s performance.  The real blemish in that game was the last goal, a Panther power play goal in the last seconds of regulation beating Samsonov on the near side inside the post that he likely would want back.

Vitek Vanecek logged one game for the week and stopped 25 of 28 shots in a 4-3 Gimmick loss to Chicago.  The loss left him 0-6 in extra time games this season and the loss to Chicago his first in the Gimmick.  If there is a disturbing element creeping into Vanecek’s play, it is that he has a save percentage under .900 in seven of his last ten appearances.

Power Play: 1-for-9 / 11.1 percent (season: 17.8 percent / 16th).

It was not a good week for the power play, either the frequency with which the Caps had opportunities (2.25 chances per game, tied for 22^nd in the league for the week) or in efficiency (11.1 percent, tied for 21^st for the week).

The Caps managed only eight shots on goal in nine power play chances in just over 16 minutes of man advantage ice time.  Alex Ovechkin led with three shots on goal, while Dmitry Orlov had the Caps’ only power play goal of the week on his only shot with the man advantage.  The Caps got no shots on goal from the middle of the 1-3-1, a weakness that has appeared from time to time this season.  This might be a product of T.J. Oshie missing 16 games this season to injury while Tom Wilson becomes more acquainted with the role.

Penalty Killing: 6-for-9 / 66.7 percent (season: 82.5 percent / 15th)

It was not any better on the other side of special teams for the Caps in Week 8.  It was their worst week, efficiency-wise, of the season to date.  The best that might be said of the penalty kill is that it did not have much exposure, the 2.25 shorthanded situations per game 12^th-fewest in the league for the week.  Nick Jensen led the team in shorthanded ice time (9:09), spending 60.7 percent of the team’s shorthanded ice time on the ice, but he was also on the ice for all three power play goals scored against the Caps for the week, the only skater to do so.

Faceoffs: 107-for-236 / 45.3 percent (46.6 percent / 28th)

Another week, another below 50 percent in the faceoff circle.  This week’s problem was in the offensive end, where the Caps finished at 37.7 percent   it was made worse by the fact that Evgeny Kuznetsov and Lars Eller, who took the lion’s share of offensive zone draws, went a combined 18-for-53 in the offensive zone for the week (34.0 percent). Things went better for both players, who finished at 50 percent or better in the defensive zone, going a combined 20-for-37 (54.1 percent).

Goals by Period

First periods…two goals against…fine.  Second periods…one goal against…better.  Third periods…eight goals.  Eee-yuck!  It was not the most third period goals allowed for the week (Anaheim allowed nine in four games), but it was ugly nonetheless.  It looked worse than it was, but only barely.  The Caps allowed eight goals on 54 third period shots, the 14.8 shooting percentage by opponents bad, but not quite in the realm of ghastly.  The result was skewed by Florida strafing the Caps for 27 third period shots and four goals in their 5-4 win over the Caps.  As it is, the Caps still have allowed only 21 third period goals this season, tied for eighth-fewest in the league.

Year-over-Year

The Caps are not much different, win-loss wise, than they were at the 25-game mark last season.  What difference there is, is attributable in large part to improvement in defense, where the Caps have allowed more than 20 percent fewer goals at this point this season than they did at this point last season. That, in turn, could be a product of a significant reduction in shot attempts allowed at 5-on-5 (6.1 percent fewer).  Special teams – specifically the penalty kill – have contributed as well, the penalty kill being called upon 18 fewer times this season than last (22.2 percent reduction).

In the end…

The Caps just keep plugging away.  No extraordinary long winning streaks, but consistent winning trends over blocks of games.  While the New York Rangers have inched even closer on the basis of a six-game winning streak and nine wins in their last ten games, the Caps’ formula, especially in the context of dealing with injuries up and down the forward lines, might be better in the long term, the sort of consistent, if not flashy, winning they have displayed through eight weeks this season.

Three Stars

• First Star: John Carlson (1-3-4, plus-4, 23:22 average ice time, six shots on goal)
• Second Star: Alex Ovechkin (2-1-3, plus-3, recorded 750^th career goal, 13 shots on goal, 21:38 average ice time, one game-winning goal)
• Third Star: Dmitry Orlov (1-3-4, plus-4, 20:49 average ice time, ten credited hits)