Record (3-0-0)
Week 23 was the first perfect week, record-wise, since week 12, when the Caps went 2-0-0, and the first perfect week with three or more games played since Week 5, when the Caps went 3-0-0. It was an extremely satisfying week, the Caps opening the week with a win in the Gimmick against the New York Islanders and former coach Barry Trotz, a pasting of the Columbus Blue Jackets that all but ended the sliver of hope Columbus might have had of catching the Caps for a playoff spot, and a playoff-like come from behind win in another Gimmick over the Carolina Hurricanes in Raleigh, one of the most difficult cities for opponents to win in the NHL. The week left the Caps just three points behind the New York Islanders for third place in the Metropolitan Division and five behind the Pittsburgh Penguins for second place.
Offense: 4.33 / game (season: 3.30 / 10th)
Even considering the seven goals the Caps hung on Columbus in a 7-2 win, it was a good week for the offense. The 4.33 goals per game were tied for the third-best scoring offense for the week (with Winnipeg), trailing Edmonton (6.33) and Nashville (5.00). The odd thing about the scoring offense rankings was that Columbus, who scored only twice in the loss to the Caps, still finished fifth in the league for the week in scoring offense (4.25 goals per game, tied with Vegas).
Eight different Caps recorded goals for the week, led by Alex Ovechkin and Anthony Mantha with three apiece. John Carlson’s goal against Carolina in the last game of the week broke a ten-game drought in goal scoring. Connor McMichael snapped a 12-game streak without a goal when he tallied against Columbus. Axel Jonsson-Fjallby notched his first NHL goal when he scored against the Islanders.
Ovechkin and Evgeny Kuznetsov led the Caps in points with four apiece. Mantha, Conor Sheary, and Nicklas Backstrom added three apiece. In all, 15 Capital skaters recorded points.
Defense: 2.67 / game (season: 2.78 / 8th)
It was neither a good, nor a bad week for the Caps in allowing shots on goal, the 31.0 shots per game allowed tied for 14th-fewest in the league for the week. Their performance at 5-on-5 was a bit better, the 132 shot attempts over the three games tied with Boston and Dallas for seventh-fewest in the league for the week.
Four Capitals were on ice at even strength with no goals scored against for the week – Tom Wilson, Danial Sprong, Axel Jonsson-Fiallby, and Connor McMichael. Three Caps were on ice for five even strength goals against – Dmitry Orlov, Nick Jensen, and Conor Sheary. John Carlson and Martin Fehervary had the best goal differential on ice at evens, each with a plus-5. Ovechkin, Orlov, and Jensen were at the other end with a minus-2 for each player.
Goaltending: 2.53 / .914 (season: 2.63 / .909 / 7 shutouts)
It was a perfect week for the netminders in terms of wins, but that is where the similarity ended. Vitek Vanecek won the first two games of the week, stopping 68 of 73 shots his two outings (.932 save percentage). He was especially effective in first periods, stopping all 24 first period shots he faced in his two games.
Ilya Samsonov drew the difficult assignment of facing Carolina, and his performance illustrated the difference between effectiveness and efficiency. He was effective in terms of keeping the Caps in the game in a very difficult venue for visitors, and he did prevail in the end, stopping all three Carolina freestyle shots in the Gimmick to earn the win. But his efficiency could have used some work, allowing three goals on only 20 shots, a .850 save percentage. Still, a win is a win is a win, and that’s the object of the exercise.
Power Play: 3-for-8 / 37.5 percent (season: 19.4 percent / 21st).
Another big week for a power play that has been quite formidable of late. The 3-for-8 week was the third straight week that the Caps finished at or over 30 percent, going 11-for-29 (37.9 percent). It was the third consecutive week that the Caps posted three or more power play goals and fourth in the last five weeks.
Alex Ovechkin had two of the power play goals, and Evgeny Kuznetsov had the other. Five skaters recorded power play points, led by Ovechkin (three) and Kuznetsov (two). The Caps spread the power play time around, ten skaters getting at least a full minute of power play ice time.
Penalty Killing: 7-for-8 / 87.5 percent (season: 80.9 percent / 12th)
It was a good week on the other side of special teams, the 7-for-8 week being the fourth week in the last five that the Caps finished the week with a penalty kill of 87.5 percent or better (90.2 percent over those five weeks). Nine different Caps skated at least four minutes shorthanded for the week, led by Trevor van Riemsdyk, who logged 9:50 in shorthanded ice time.
Faceoffs: 101-for-195 / 51.8 percent (47.4 percent / 28th)
It was on of those weeks that might have looked better than it was for faceoffs. True, the 51.8 winning percentage for the week was a welcome surprise, but the Caps did not have as good a result in the ends, going 35-for-69 in the offensive end (50.7 percent) and 30-for-63 (47.6 percent) in the defensive end. The Caps were 36-for-63 in the neutral zone (57.1 percent) to improve the overall numbers.
Of the four Caps to take at least ten draws, Nicklas Backstrom had the best week at 34-for-58 (58.6 percent), including a fine 10-for-16 in the offensive zone (62.5 percent). However, Backstrom’s offensive zone performance was given back, and then some, by Evgeny Kuznetsov, who was 8-for-26 in the offensive end (30.8 percent). Connor McMichael had a fine week in this area, going over 60 percent in both ends of the ice.
Goals by Period
It was a case of starting and ending games in style with the Caps owning a plus-4 goal differential in the first and third periods of games. Second periods were a problem, the Caps scoring only two goals and allowing five. It was consistent in the context of the entire season to date, the Caps holding a plus-19 goal differential in the first periods of games and a plus-23 third period differential. The second period has not been as happy a result, the Caps with a minus-5 differential for the season at week’s end.
In the end…
There might have been a few things to pick at in Week 23, but that’s what would be…picky. Three wins in three tries made the blemishes, few that were there, largely irrelevant. Washington seems to have shaken off the two-month swoon they had to start the new year, and that is good news as the team head into the stretch run.
Three Stars
- First Star: Alex Ovechkin (3-1-4, minus-2, two power play goals, 13 shots on goal, 21 shot attempts, eight credited hits, shootout game-deciding goal, passed Jaromir Jagr for third place all-time in goals scored)
- Second Star: Anthony Mantha (3-0-3, plus-1, 12 shots on goal, 16 shot attempts, six credited hits)
- Third Star: Evgeny Kuznetsov (3-1-4, minus-1, 11 shots on goal, 15 shot attempts)
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