Washington Capitals: 2012-2013 By the Tens -- Forwards: Eric Fehr

Eric Fehr

“Still round the corner there may wait,

A new road or a secret gate.”

-- J. R. R. Tolkien

It has been quite a road traveled by Eric Fehr the last couple of years.  Once a first round draft pick of the Washington Capitals, a succession of injuries dimmed the promise he showed as a goal-scorer in Canadian juniors.  By the time he finished his sixth season with the Capitals in 2011, he had played in only 230 games and recorded only 46 goals.  At age 25, he seemed to be damaged goods and was shipped to the Winnipeg Jets in July 2011 for Danick Paquette and a mid-round draft pick.

As if things were not frustrating enough in Washington, Fehr’s 2011-2012 season in Winnipeg was a disaster.  It should have been a pleasant homecoming, Fehr being a native of Winkler, Manitoba.  Instead, he underwent shoulder surgery in October 2011 and missed the first 19 games of the season for the Jets.  He never recovered from the delayed start, posting only two goals in 35 games with Winnipeg.

With his two year deal originally signed with Washington now expired, Fehr was a free agent. Unfortunately, a 26-year old with a history of shoulder problems was not in high demand, and he signed a contract with HPK in Finland.  There, Fehr regained something of his scoring touch, posting 13 goals in 21 games.  With the NHL finally coming to its senses and reaching an agreement on a new collective bargaining agreement in January, the Capitals signed Fehr back on January 12^th on a one-year, $600,000 deal just in time for the start of the 2013 season.

It took Fehr a while to get started, missing the first three games of the season with, yes, an “upper body injury," then going without a point in his first eight games.  But over his last 33 games he was 9-8-17, plus-16.  That is a 22-20-42, plus-40 pace over 82 games.  Not bad for a guy who finished tenth among Caps forwards in total minutes played this season.

There was, though, the infernal “Southeast Division” thing going on.  Fehr was 5-4-9, plus-14 in 15 games against the fellow travelers of the Southeast, while he was 4-4-8, even, in his other 26 games.  However, as Caps fans no doubt will remember, two of those four goals against other divisions were quite dramatic, including this one to end the regular season with a flourish…

An encouraging aspect of Fehr’s game was his contributions at even strength.  Yes, that is a big part of his job (or at least what Caps fans hoped he would be a few years back), but looking at the four players with whom he skated at least 100 minutes this season, the GF20 values at 5-on-5 (team goals for per 20 minutes at stats.hockeyanalysis.com) for three of those players – Mathieu Perreault, Jason Chimera, and Nicklas Backstrom – were higher with Fehr than they were when apart.  He also had solid next-lvel numbers.  Among Capital forwards playing in at least 20 games Fehr had the best PDO (sum of save percentage and shooting percentage), had a better ratio of penalties drawn to penalties taken than any forward except Marcus Johansson, the best Corsi on-ice relative to off ice, and the best plus-minus on ice per 60 minutes (all results from behindthenet.ca).

Odd Fehr Statistic... Eric Fehr was one of nine forwards in the league whose only game winning goals came in overtime.  He was the only forward in the league who had two game-winning goals, both in overtime (the other eight were one-for-one).

Game to Remember… March 5^th vs. Boston.  It is something about the Bruins.  Eric Fehr recorded the only three-point game of his career when he had three assists in a Caps 10-2 win over Boston on March 3, 2008.  The March 5^th game against the Bruins did not have the look of a game in which Fehr would repeat the feat, especially when the Bruins went out to a 3-0 lead before the horn went off for the first intermission.  But after Mike Ribeiro got the Caps on the board early in the second period, Fehr was credited with the primary assists on goals by Tomas Kundratek in the second period and Wojtek Wolski to tie the game in the third period.  He saved the best for last, though, just 37 seconds into the overtime…

Game to Forget… January 31^st at Toronto.  Through two periods of the Caps’ game against the Maple Leafs, Eric Fehr spent a total of 2:06 on the ice and did not see a shift in the second period.  He got a couple of turns around the ice early in the third period, but the third shift was not the charm.  Fehr had two chances to stymie a breakout by the Leafs from their own end, first not quite getting a stick on a John-Michael Liles feed up to Matt Frattin.  Then, when Frattin could not collect the pass cleanly, Fehr was unable to tie him up along the boards.  Frattin broke free and headed up ice.  Seconds later, Frattin was on the business end of a feed from Nazem Kadri, and he buried it in the back of the net for what would be the game-winning goal in the 3-2 Leafs win on what was Fehr’s last shift of the evening.

Post Season… It just never came together for Fehr in the first round series against the New York Rangers.  That team best PDO among Caps forwards at 5-on-5 in the regular season?  He had the third-worst among Caps forwards playing in all seven games.  Plus-minus on ice per 60 minutes at 5-on-5?  Third-worst.  His relative Corsi, on-ice to off-ice, which best at 5-on-5 in the regular season?  Eighth among Caps forwards in the Ranger series.  He finished without a point in seven games, and he was on ice for each of the first four goals scored by the Rangers in their 5-0 series-clinching win.

In the end…

Yes, the playoffs were a bitter end to the season for the Caps and Fehr in particular, but it was quite a comeback season.  The Caps rewarded him with a two-year, $3.0 million extension off his 2013 season production.  Fehr is probably a more well-rounded player than he was when he departed Washington in 2011.  He has become a better defensive player (only 14 goals scored against on-ice, none of them in penalty-killing situations, and he displayed some of the finishing skill hoped for when he was drafted.  The aim now is to build on this from a healthy foundation.  If Fehr can put together a solid 70-game season next year (he has yet to hit that mark in eight seasons), it could be the secret gate to career success.

Grade: B

Photo: Bruce Bennett/Getty Images North America

Washington Capitals: 2012-2013 By the Tens -- Forwards: Joey Crabb

Joey Crabb

“Expectation is the root of all heartache.”

-- William Shakespeare

When Joey Crabb was signed by the Washington Capitals to a one-year, one-way contract paying him $950,000 on July 1^st, optimism was the order of the day.  His agent, Kevin Epp, noted that “he’s versatile and can move up and down the lineup — wherever he’s needed.”  He was confident that Crabb landed in the right place, saying that “Washington was a good fit.  For Joey to have the opportunity to play on a championship-caliber team, that’s what was most important for him, and this was a good chance to do so.”

And why shouldn’t the Crabb camp paint a picture of optimism?  In his first full season in the NHL, with the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2011-2012, Crabb was 11-15-26 in 67 games skating just over 13 minutes a game.  Surely on a team with the offensive features to be brought to bear by new head coach Adam Oates, a player like Crabb could build on that season and flourish in Washington.

Right?

It was probably an ominous sign when Crabb did not dress for the season opener against Tampa Bay on January 19^th.  He got into the lineup the following game against Winnipeg, then scored his first goal of the season in the next game against Montreal.  But even that had a cloud hanging over it, the goal being the lone goal for the Caps, scored with less than three minutes left in what would be a 4-1 loss.  He then went without a point over his next 21 games.  His ice time, which averaged over 11 minutes per game over his first 12 games with the Caps, dwindled to an average of less than eight minutes a game over his next 14 games.

By the time Crabb skated his last shift for the Caps early in the third period of a 5-3 win over Buffalo on March 14^th, he had two goals and no assists in 26 games.  One of the more shocking numbers in his 2013 season resume was the fact that he was on ice for five power play goals against.  Only four other Capital forwards were on ice for more, and three of them – Nicklas Backstrom, Matt Hendricks, and Jay Beagle – did so playing in all 48 games.  The other – Troy Brouwer – played in 47 contests.  Seven Capitals averaged more penalty killing time per game than did Crabb.

Another shocking number, which might not be altogether shocking given his season, is “four.”  That is the total number of goals he was on ice for in 26 games, and two of those were his own.

Here is another one… “three.”  Crabb, who scored 11 goals on 75 shots on goal in 67 games in Toronto in 2011-2012, managed only three games in which he recorded more than one shot, and in 11 games did not have a shot on goal at all.

Crabb was waived in late March, cleared waivers, then was sent down to Hershey for the remainder of his season.  He was 6-6-12, plus-5 in 12 regular season games with the Bears, then went 5-0-5 in five playoff games in the Bears’ first round loss to the Providence Bruins.  He was recalled after the Bears’ season ended but saw no action in the playoff series against the New York Rangers.

Game to Remember… March 14^th at Carolina.  In a season as forgettable as Crabb’s you might think that there would be no game to remember.  But there the Caps were, heading to Carolina on a three-game losing streak and in danger of tumbling into last place in the Eastern Conference.  It got worse when the Carolina Hurricanes, ten points ahead of the Caps in the standings at the time, broke on top with a pair of first period goals, one of them by former Cap Alexander Semin.  However, in the sixth minute of the second period, Crabb went to the basics.  As Aaron Volpatti was chipping the puck along the left wing wall past Hurricane defenseman Justin Faulk, Crabb darted to the net.  Volpatti retrieved the puck and sent a pass to the front of the Carolina net where Crabb had beaten defenseman Bobby Sanguinetti to the spot. Crabb redirected the puck in, starting a comeback that resulted in a Caps 3-2 win.  You could argue that it was the most important goal of the Caps’ season, for with that goal and the comeback win that followed, the three-game losing streak was over, and the Caps finished the season 17-4-2, Southeast Division champs one last time.

Game to Forget… pretty much the rest of them.

In the end…

On the one hand, there was that 11-goal season in Toronto in 2011-2012.  On the other, Washington was Crabb’s third team over parts of four seasons – one in Atlanta with the Thrashers and two in Toronto.  On the one hand, there was that 11-goal season in Toronto in 2011-2012.  On the other, Crabb was approaching his 30^th birthday having played in only 144 NHL games.  On the one hand, there was that 11-goal season in Toronto in 2011-2012 that might have merited a $950,000 one-way contract.  On the other, well…

Grade: D

Bruce Bennett/Getty Images North America

Washington Capitals: 2012-2013 By the Tens -- Forwards: Jason Chimera

Jason Chimera

Those were the days my friend

We thought they'd never end

We'd sing and dance forever and a day

We'd live the life we choose

We'd fight and never lose

Those were the days, oh yes those were the days

-- Mary Hopkin

Those were the days.  By the time the 2011-2012 season was five games old, Jason Chimera had four goals.  After 26 games he had 11 goals, surpassing his entire total for the 2010-2011 season (10).  When the season was over he had the first 20-goal season of his career, five of those tallies being game-winners.

In 2012-2013 Chimera would not match that five-game goal total, let alone come close to his career high or even his career average (15 goals per 82 games).  No, three goals would be all Chimera would record for the 2012-2013 season, the first of them not coming until Game 28 against Buffalo.  His others came against similar also-rans in the standings – Tampa Bay and Winnipeg.  Among 373 qualifying players, Chimera finished 358^th of 373 players in shooting percentage.  Only six forwards finished lower than Chimera’s 3.3 percent shooting on 92 shots.

What made his shooting statistics even more bizarre is that starting with that first goal of the season against Buffalo in Game 28, he shot to a respectable 9.7 percent over his last 19 games.  After all, he shot 9.8 percent in 2011-2012 when he recorded that 20-goal season.  But his shooting dried up – 31 shots in those last 19 games. 

That is what made the 2011-2012 the real aberration here.  Bracket that season with the one preceding and the one following, and you see that in 2010-2011 he averaged 2.0 shots per game and 2.0 shots per game in 2012-2013.  In his career season, he averaged 2.50 shots per game. This season, it was not that Chimera was not getting his shots, at least in the context of his career production (2.0 shots per game coming into this season).  He simply was not converting them.

He was also tough on his linemates with that sort of offensive production.  He spent most of his 5-on-5 ice time skating with Joel Ward and Mathieu Perreault, both of whom did significantly better in terms of team goals scored for per 20 minutes (GF20 in stats.hockeyanalysis.com parlance).  Ward’s production value was 0.747 when skating with Chimera, 1.152 when apart.  For Perreault, it was 0.835 with Chimera, 1.276 when apart. 

At least with Perreault he did enjoy his own best production – all three of his goals on the season were scored with Perreault centering him.  But Eric Fehr, with whom Chimera scored two of his three goals, enjoyed better team production apart that with Chimera – an 0.859 GF20 value with Chimera at 5-on-5, 1.188 when apart.  There was not a single Capital forward who had a better GF20 value at 5-on-5 with Chimera than he had when apart.

If he is not scoring, was he contributing in other ways?  Well, among Caps forwards only four were on ice for more even strength goals, and those were the big offensive guns –Nicklas Backstrom, Alex Ovechkin, Troy Brouwer, and Mike Ribeiro.  Neither was he a penalty-killer, what with only Ovechkin, Perreault, and Wojtek Wolski getting less penalty-killing ice time per game (20 games minimum).  In fact, Chimera spent less time on special teams (21 seconds per game) than any Capital forward (20 games minimum).

Game to remember… April 23^rd vs. Winnipeg.  On a night when the Caps would clinch their last Southeast Division title, Chimera had his second two-point game of the season.  The first came on a nice bit of work between Chimera and Mathieu Perreault.  Mike Green dumped the puck in the Jet’s end, and Perreault beat defenseman Ron Hainsey to the puck, poking it into the corner to the waiting Chimera.  From the corner, Chimera returned the puck to Perreault below the goal line, then made a beeline for the Winnipeg net.  Perreault found Chimera at the side of the cage to the right of goalie Ondrej Pavelec.  Chimera got two whacks at the puck, the first stopped by Pavelec’ pad, but the second one finding the back of the net.  Chimera added an assist on what would be the game-winning goal by Perreault, giving him a two-point night and the Caps another division crown.

Game to Forget… February 12^th at Florida.  Start the game as the left wing on the top line but skate a total of ten shifts, three of which end in goals for the opposition – their first three goals of the game, you do not so much as attempt a shot, and you get only one shift after the second period in what would be an overtime game in which you skate a total of 5:43 in ice time, yeah, that would be a game to forget.

Post-Season… The shots did not come early for Chimera in the first-round season against the New York Rangers, only five over Games 1-4, but he was productive – 1-2-3, plus-2 in those games.  But then, just like the rest of the club, he vanished in Games 5-7.  He did not record a point, despite ten shots on goal over those three games.  It probably says enough about the Caps that Chimera finished tied for third in total points for the Caps and was tied for the lead in goals scored with eight teammates, all with one apiece.

In the end…

Jason Chimera came into this season almost certainly not as productive a player as his 2011-2012 numbers might suggest, but now we are left to wonder if he is as unproductive as his 2012-2013 numbers look. That is an important question to consider for the 2013-2014 season, the last for Chimera under his current contract ($1.75 million salary cap hit).  The easy answer is that he is somewhere in-between the last two seasons.  But if he is closer to his three-goal total for this year than his 20-goal total in 2012-2013, it will be a lot of money to sink into a player who could end up a fourth-liner on most nights, especially one who is not called upon to participate on special teams.  The Caps would probably like to have him provide the stable, regular 15-goal or so production per 82 games that he posted over his first 11 seasons.  But at the age of 34, is that a reasonable expectation? 

Grade: D+

Greg Fiume/Getty Images North America

Washington Capitals: 2012-2013 By the Tens -- Forwards: Troy Brouwer

Troy Brouwer

“The way to have power is to take it.”

-- Boss Tweed

Pavel Datsyuk, John Tavares, James Neal, Anze Kopitar, Troy Brouwer.  What, pray tell, do these five forwards have in common?  All of them had 16 power play points in the regular season. Brouwer had as many power play goals as Zach Parise and Logan Couture.  He had as many power play assists as Patrick Kane, Daniel Sedin, and Patrik Elias.

It was a powerful year for Troy Brouwer.

Here is how powerful.  His 7-9-16 line on the power play in 47 games almost equaled his power play output over the last two seasons combined – 10-8-18 over 159 games.  He was 12^th overall in 5-on-4 goals scored per 60 minutes (players with at least 100 5-on-4 minutes played), no mean feat when teammate Alex Ovechkin led the league in that statistic.  And his finishing 26^th in 5-on-4 assists per 60 minutes at 5-on-4 was almost as impressive in that centers dominated the top-25 in that statistic, including teammates Mike Ribeiro (first) and Nicklas Backstrom (fifth).  He was 12^th overall in 5-on-4 points per 60 minutes (all numbers from stats.hockeyanalysis.com).

The power play output was what made the 2013 season special for Brouwer.  His 11-5-16 at even strength was an 82-game pace of 19-9-28, the 28-point pace being in line with his output from the previous three seasons – 27 points in 2011-2012, 23 points in 2010-2011, and 28 points in 2009-2010.

In fact, Brouwer’s 5-on-5 numbers were rather ordinary in the context of the Capital forwards.  For instance, his total points per 60 minutes at 5-on-5 were identical to that of Wojtek Wolski, who couldn’t get a sweater at a concession booth over the last half of the season.  Where he did shine, though, was in goal scoring at 5-on-5.  He finished second on the club to Alex Ovechkin, and his 0.884 goals-per-60 minutes at 5-on-5 was in the ball park with such wingers as Corey Perry (0.861) and Bobby Ryan (0.863) in Anaheim, Patrick Kane in Chicago (0.887), and Tyler Seguin in Boston (0.892).

Brouwer is a useful indicator of some second-line problems that hit the team from time to time.  Over the course of his 47 games the two players with whom he played the most at 5-on-5 were the two scoring line centers, Mike Ribeiro (301 minutes) and Nicklas Backstrom (259 minutes).  Looking at Brouwer’s production with Ribeiro and without, he finished with a GF20 (team goals for per 20 minutes) value of 0.532.  That number increased when Brouwer and Ribeiro were separated (0.645).  The opposite was true with Nicklas Backstrom.  When playing with Backstrom, Brouwer’s GF20 value was 0.619, when apart it was 0.568.

What the Caps might want to look at with Brouwer is his role as a penalty killer.  In 2011-2012 six Capital forwards recorded more than 50 minutes of 4-on-5 ice time, and Brouwer had the third best GA20 (opposition team goals scored per 20 minutes, as measure at stats.hockeyanalysis.com) with a value of 2.286 goals against per 20 minutes of ice time.  This year, that value ballooned to 2.858 goals against per 20 minutes of ice time, second worst on the team (Nicklas Backstrom was worst).  It is a comparatively new role for him, his having finished eighth among forwards in total shorthanded ice time in Chicago in 2010-2011.  The silver lining is, if he improves, the Caps penalty killing improves, and it sure could use improvement.

Odd Brouwer Stat… Brouwer scored goals at a 33-goal pace per 82 games this season, and you would think he did it by posting a career best in shooting percentage.  You would be wrong.  His 17.1 percent shooting percentage this season was his second best in his seven-year career, bested by his 19.0 percent in his 22-goal season in 78 games in 2009-2010 with Chicago.  The thing is, he hasn’t finished lower than 13.5 percent in any of the last four seasons.

Game to Remember… March 21/22 vs. Winnipeg.  The Caps needed a lift.  When they took to the road to Winnipeg for games on March 21^st and 22^nd, they sat in 14^th place in the Eastern Conference, seven points out of eighth place and nine points behind Winnipeg, then leading the Southeast Division.  Worse, the Caps were coming off a tough 2-1 loss in Pittsburgh before heading west.  In the first game of the back-to-back in Winnipeg, Brouwer got the Caps off on the right foot with a goal just 3:06 into the game. It would prove to be the game-winner in a 4-0 win.  The following night, Brouwer scored less than four minutes after Brooks Laich opened the scoring in the first period, and it, too, proved to be the game-winner in the Caps’ 6-1 pasting of the Jets.  For the series, Brouwer was 2-0-2, plus-3, five shots on goal, two hits, a blocked shot, and he was 5-for-6 on faceoffs.

Game to Forget… February 27^th vs. Philadelphia.  The Caps were coming off back-to-back solid performances, a 5-1 win over New Jersey and a 3-0 win over Carolina at home.  Then they visited Philadelphia the night after the win over the Hurricanes.  They – and Brouwer – were flat.  With the Flyers holding a 1-0 lead, Brouwer was a half-tick too late getting his stick in the way of a Scott Hartnell shot on a Flyer power play.  Goalie Braden Holtby made the first save, but Wayne Simmonds potted the rebound.  Then, with the Flyers up 3-0 late in the second period, the home team iced it when Max Talbot wired one in.  Brouwer might have been the unluckiest man on the play, for he had just stepped onto the ice to replace Alex Ovechkin when the goal was scored.  He was not within 50 feet of Talbot, but he got credit for being on ice for the score.

Post Season… There were times this season when Brouwer was either unlucky or unaware on defense, and it came to a head in Game 7 against the Rangers.  He was caught in no-man’s land in the slot covering no one in particular when Taylor Pyatt put the Rangers up, 2-0, less than four minutes into the second period.  Barely two minutes later, he went to bended knee to try to block a drive by Michael Del Zotto, but all he got was air as the puck sailed by and past goalie Braden Holtby for a 3-0 Ranger lead.  The third straight goal he found himself on the ice for, just 13 seconds into the third period, he had no fault in, Ryan Callahan stripping the puck from John Erskine at the red line and skating in on a break to end the competitive portion of Game 7.  But his minus-3 was his worst such finish of the season, and the three goals against for which he found himself on ice were more than his total for the first six games combined (two).  Six pretty good games and then, like the rest of the team, an egg laid on home ice.

In the end…

Brouwer had a fine year, made better by his performance on special teams.  But with the pleasure, there is the pain.  He did not have an exceptional year at even strength, rather one very much in line with his career norm.  And when the power play came up short in the playoffs – three goals scored in seven games – the lack of extraordinary production on Brouwer’s part at even strength, again like much of the team around him, took on more weight.  He was a capable secondary scorer who might have benefited more from Adam Oates' wizardry in drawing up the power play than any player not named “Ovechkin.”  But, in the end, it was not enough, either for him or for his teammates.

Grade: B

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Washington Capitals: 2012-2013 By the Tens -- Forwards: Jay Beagle

Jay Beagle

“There is no way to success in art but to take off your coat, grind paint, and work like a digger on the railroad, all day and every day.”

-- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Jay Beagle is never going to win a scoring championship.  Chances are that he will never record ten goals in a season, nor reach the 20-point threshold.  Beagle’s pay check in the NHL is a product of his being that class of hockey player called “grinder.”  He works third or fourth line minutes, makes life difficult for other teams’ scorers, kills penalties, and chips in the occasional point or two.  Well, occasional point.  Beagle has not yet had a two-point game in the NHL.

On the other hand, Beagle did make his contributions in penalty killing.  He led the team in total shorthanded ice time (101:49) and was in the top-25 in that statistic.  In doing so he was on ice for only eight power play goals against.  His 4.95 goals against/on ice per 60 minutes of 4-on-5 ice time was not in the same ball park as Selke Trophy finalists Jonathan Toews or Patrice Bergeron, but it was consistent with Mike Richards (5.07) or Dustin Brown (5.09) in Los Angeles, Ryan Getzlaf in Anaheim (4.70), or Dan Paille in Boston (5.12; numbers from behindthenet.ca).

Beagle had modest offensive numbers, but what he did post was almost entirely a product of games against Southeast Division teams.  He was 2-3-5, plus-3, in 18 games against the division rivals, 0-3-3, minus-4, in 30 games against the other teams in the Eastern Conference teams.  Those numbers were a reflection of a drop in scoring productivity.  In 79 games covering the previous three seasons he recorded seven goals on 86 shots, an 8.1 percent shooting percentage that is as much as one could ask for from that position.  But this year Beagle bumped up his shots per game slightly (from 1.09 over those 79 games to 1.17 in 48 games this season), but his shooting percentage dropped to 3.6 percent.  Only Jason Chimera (3.3 percent) and Aaron Volpatti (0.0 percent) has lower conversion rates among forwards.

Odd Beagle Stat… Beagle finished the season a minus-1.  That makes him five-for-five -- five seasons in the NHL, all of them finished in minus territory.

Game to Remember… Valentine’s Day vs. Tampa Bay.  Jay Beagle does not score a lot of goals, but he does have a certain knack with them.  A lot of them are game-winners.  So it was on this night when the Caps carried a 2-1 lead into the third period of their contest with the Lightning.  Eric Fehr extended the Caps’ lead to 3-1 in the third minute of the period, and a little over four minutes later the Caps had another opportunity.with the fourth line on the ice.  Joey Crabb came out of a scrum in the corner to the left of Lightning goalie Mathieu Garon.  Crabb fed the puck out to Tomas Kundratek at the right point, who sent it across to Jeff Schultz at the other point.  Schultz wristed the puck to the Tampa Bay net trying to create a rebound chance.  The puck died in the middle of a clot of bodies where Garon tried to cover it.  But Beagle, with two Lightning defenders draped on him, rooted after the puck like a pig after a truffle.  Knocked to the ice, Beagle found the puck lying under Garon’s arm, and while lying on his side swept if from underneath Garon and into the net to give the Caps a 4-1 lead.  The Caps would need them all, giving up a pair to the Lightning late in the period, making Beagle’s the game-winner in a 4-3 win.  It was Beagle’s third game-winner in seven goals scored dating back to the 2010-2011 season.

Game to Forget… February 3^rd vs. Pittsburgh.  The Caps were coming off a win against Philadelphia that they hoped was righting the ship after a 1-5-1 start.  The Caps played the Penguins close, tying the game a two apiece early in the second period on a John Carlson goal.  But after the Penguins took a 3-2 lead less than three minutes after the Carlson goal, they blew it open when the big line of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Chris Kunitz came to life, Kunitz getting a pair of goals.  The first came when Beagle was a split second late getting his stick in the path of Kunitz’ snap shot, and the second came on a Penguin power play when Beagle very nearly got his stick on a crossing pass through the slot that found its way onto Kuntiz’ stick for a one timer to make the score 5-2 and end the competitive portion of the afternoon.

Post Season… A fourth liner is not expected to put up a lot of points, but on the other hand they cannot be on the ice for a lot of goals in a short series and have his team advance.  Beagle did not score much (a goal in a 4-3 Game 3 loss was his only point of the series), and no Cap forward was on ice for more goals (six) in the seven-game series.  Five of the goals Beagle found himself on ice for either tied the game or gave the Rangers a lead. 

In the end…

Beagle made adequate contributions as a fourth liner in the regular season.  Getting scoring at a 14-point pace per 82 games and being on ice for only 14 goals against at even strength is nothing to be disappointed in.  However, one of the problems the Caps have had in the post season in recent years is that their third and fourth lines contributed next to nothing in offense and did not make up for it with stifling defense.  This was true when the players in question were David Steckel, Boyd Gordon, and Matt Bradley, and it was true this post season with Beagle, Matt Hendricks, or whoever it was that occupied the other wing. 

The fourth line contributed two points in the first-round series loss to the Rangers – Beagle’s goal and Joel Ward’s assist on that goal (Ward contributed two assists skating on the third line with Mathieu Perreault and Jason Chimera, and scored a power play goal skating with the top line).  The Caps might have weathered the lack of offense, but they could not overcome the goals allowed when the bottom half of the forward lines were on ice.  Beagle, as the center of the fourth line, had to be just a bit better.  The Caps could have used a lot of players to be “just a bit better,” so in that respect Beagle has company.

Grade: B-

Photo: Bruce Bennett/Getty Images North America

Washington Capitals: 2012-2013 By the Tens -- Forwards: Nicklas Backstrom

Nicklas Backstrom

“Ah, but I was so much older then

I'm younger than that now.”

-- Bob Dylan

Bob Dylan wrote those words in 1964, and they were interpreted as the conflict between what was once accepted as a youth and what was now subject to doubts having grown older.  The protest movement in the mid-1960’s and a hockey team in the twenty-teens do not have a lot in common, but Nicklas Backstrom is at that point in his career when we might ask, “was the certainty we had a few years ago that he would be an elite center misplaced?”

Not that Backstrom had a bad season.  He tied with Jonathan Toews among centers for seventh place in total points, he was one assist behind Sidney Crosby for second in the league among centers, and only two centers – teammate Mike Ribeiro and San Jose’s Joe Thornton – had more power play points than the 18 he recorded.

Still, something seemed “off” about Backxtrom’s game this season.  Maybe it was the five even-strength goals he recorded.  Maybe it was that he was 3-22-25, plus-7 in 18 games against the Southeast Division, but only 5-18-23, plus-1 in 30 games outside the “Southleast.”  Maybe it was his going 1-2-3, minus-2 in the first round playoff series against the Rangers, continuing a disturbing trend… 3-10-13, even, in his last 29 playoff games after going 12-18-30, plus-13 in his first 28 career playoff games.

But back to the regular season.  There was a curious – and unexpected – Backstrom effect at 5-on-5.  Backstrom spent more time skating with Alex Ovechkin and Marcus Johansson at 5-on-5 than he did with any other Capital forwards.  When they were on ice together at 5-on-5, Ovechkin’s GF20 (goals scored by team per 20 minutes of ice time, as defined at stats.hockeyanalysis.com) was 1.002.  When apart, that value was 1.009.  For Johansson, the values were 1.11 when skating with Backstrom, 1.11 when they were apart.

The big difference here came on the defensive side of the ledger.  Ovechkin’s GA20 at 5-on-5 (goals scored against per 20 minutes of ice time) was 0.739 with Backstrom, 1.009 when separated from Backstrom.  For Johansson, the numbers were 0.863 with Backstrom and 1.269 when separated.

Another odd part about Backstrom’s season was how it was, in terms of his high end numbers, almost a reproduction of his 2011-2012 season.  He played in 42 games last season (40 games were missed due to a concussion), 48 games this season.  He had 44 points last season, 48 this season.  Three power play goals last season, three power play goals this season.  He had 16 power play assists last season, 15 this season.

What we saw this year, though, was a continuing trend of fewer shots on goal.  In 2009-2010, qwhen Backstrom set a career high with 33 goals, he averaged 2.71 shots per game.  That was followed up by 2.62 in 2010-2011, 2.26 in 2011-2012, and then 1.71 this season.  Part of that might have been a product of his role in an Adam Oates power play scheme.  He recorded only 13 power play shots on goal all season (0.27 per game).  Then again, it might not be a function of the new power play.  Backstrom had only 16 power play shots on goal in 42 games in 2011-2012 (0.38 per game).  The change in Backstrom’s shooting has come more at 5-on-5 where he averaged 1.29 shots per game this season versus 1.55 shots per game last season, and both might be compared to the 2.00 shots per game at 5-on-5 that he averaged in his 33-goal season in 2009-2010.

Odd Backstrom Stat… “Tuesday’s child is full of grace.”  For Backstrom, Tuesday certainly graced his statistics.  He was 2-17-19, plus-7 on games played on Tuesdays, 6-23-29, plus-1 on the other six days of the week combined.

Game to Remember… April 2^nd vs. Carolina.  The Caps went into their contest against Carolina on April 2^nd tied with the Hurricanes for tenth place in the Eastern Conference, three points out of the top-eight and four behind then-division leading Winnipeg.  Carolina got the jump on the visitors with two goals less than three minutes apart in the first period.  Then Backstrom went to work.  He had the primary assist on four straight goals for the Caps in the space of 11:45, allowing Washington to overtake Carolina, 4-3, barely 11 minutes into the second period.  The Caps added a shorthanded goal with 45 seconds left to seal the 5-3 win.  For Backstrom it was quite a night.  It was his first four-point game since February 4, 2001 (a 6-5 Caps win over the New York Rangers), and his 12^th career four-point or better game.  It was the third game in what would be a nine-game points streak for Backstrom (1-14-15).

Game to Forget… April 18^th vs. Ottawa.  Getting his lowest ice time of the season (15:41), Backstrom was on ice for each of the Senators’ first two goals, then was not on the ice when the Caps, trying to get the equalizer in a 2-1 game, allowed Ottawa an empty net goal with 1:27 left in a 3-1 Washington loss.  Backstrom skated only five shifts in the third period of that game before going out after being hit in the right arm by a Mike Green slap shot.

Post Season… Backstrom had one even-strength point in the first round series against the Rangers, the first goal of the game in what would be a 4-3 Rangers win in Game 3.  Other than that he was scarcely heard from despite getting more ice time among forwards than any Capital except Alex Ovechkin.  It was surprising in that over his last 21 regular season games he was 5-21-26, plus-10.  By the time the series was over, Backstrom found himself 3-for-64 shooting over his last 29 playoff games (4.7 percent) and, perhaps more distressingly, only ten assists in those 29 games, only five of them at even strength.

In the end…

Alex Ovechkin might be what gives the drink its kick, but Backstrom is the straw that stirs it.  And in terms of his post-season contributions, it has been a somewhat watered down cocktail in the last three years.  His position affords him more opportunities to contribute (scoring on his own, distributing the puck to more than just Alex Ovechkin), but by the same token, if he does not cash in on those opportunities the Caps are not likely to be successful.  In the last 14 post season games in which Backstrom did not register a point, the Caps are 3-11 dating back to the four-game sweep at the hands of Tampa Bay in 2011.

As much as is the case with Ovechkin, Backstrom is at the point in his career where he will be evaluated on his post-season performance more than what he accomplishes in the regular season.  The dropoff from his early career success in the post season (12-18-30 in his first 28 games covering three post-season appearances) is mystifying.  And until that mystery is solved, the disappointment that was Washington’s in the post-season in 2013 is not likely to change.

Grade: C+

Photo: Bruce Bennett/Getty Images North America

Washington Capitals: 2012-2013 By the Tens -- Defensemen: "Schulpotorlov"

“Schulpotorlov”

No, that is not a hot young prospect out of Moscow, that is the trio of Jeff Schultz, Tom Poti, and Dmitry Orlov.  In another time, these three defensemen might have been stalwarts among the top-six blueliners for the Caps.  Schultz, the quiet, stay-at-home defenseman with the long reach and use of position and angles more than brawn to defend.  Poti, the veteran who developed a solid two-way aspect to his game after years of being primarily an offensive defenseman.  Orlov, the up-and-comer with a heavy shot and a heavier hip check.

The 2013 season was not “another time” for these three defensemen.  Combined they appeared in 47 games, going 0-6-6, minus-3.  In no game this season did all three dress for action.  Orlov and Schultz dressed for the March 19^th contest against Pittsburgh – a 2-1 loss in which neither was on ice for any of the three goals in their combined 22:47 of ice time.  Schultz and Poti appeared in 11 games together, the Caps going 4-7-0 in those contests and allowing 41 goals in the process.  Poti’s season ended on March 17^th, the game before Orlov would play in his first of the season on March 19^th. 

None of the three appeared in the post season, all have question marks heading into the off-season.

Jeff Schultz is signed to the Capitals through next season at a $2.75 million salary cap hit.  Here is the thing, though.  Schultz appeared in 29 of the first 31 games of the 2011-2012 season (0-5-5, plus-1), but has appeared in only 51 of 99 regular season games since (1-3-4, minus-9). Forty seven of those 48 absences were healthy scratches (he was out due to illness for the February 1, 2012 game against Florida).  For all intents and purposes he has been passed on the depth chart by Orlov, Tomas Kundratek, and Steve Oleksy from within the organization, and Jack Hillen came in from Nashville to occupy a top-six spot that otherwise might have gone to Schultz…in another time.  Even prospect Cameron Schilling, who got a sweater along with Schultz for a March 12^th contest with Carolina in Schilling's only appearance of the season, might be in a position to pass him on the depth chart shortly.

Schultz is almost to the point of being “dead money” laying in plain sight.  He would have a bulls-eye on his back as a compliance buyout, especially with the Caps having to find cap room to re-sign restricted free agent Karl Alzner.  But the Caps are not a team with a lot of depth on the blue line.  When John Erskine – a capable third-pair defenseman – is getting a lot of second-pair minutes, you have depth issues. 

The Caps have 20 players on the parent roster signed for next season (assuming Philipp Grubauer spends the season in Hershey and Dmitry Orlov rejoins the club), including Schultz, with a cap hit of $58.934 million (numbers from capgeek.com).  That leaves the Caps with $5.526 million in cap room to fill up to three roster spots, including the re-signing of Alzner and either signing or replacing Mike Ribeiro at center.  If Schultz is bought out, that makes up to four roster spots to fill and $8.276 million in cap room.  Even if Schultz is bought out, resigning Alzner and Ribeiro could eat up the entire remaning cap room and still leave the team needing a seventh roster defenseman.  Ribeiro might or might not be in Washington in September.  It seems almost a betting certainty that Schultz will not. 

Tom Poti has 37 regular season games on his resume over the last three seasons, 16 of them this year before an injury to his ribs that ended his season.  The question for Poti is not whether he will return to the Capitals’ lineup – he will not -- but whether he has anything left in the tank to find a suitor for next season.  If a guy deserves such a shot, it is Tom Poti.  Fractured pelvis, multiple groin injuries, neck and back injuries.  That has been his recent history with the Caps.  Through it all, he was uncommonly dedicated to his craft, persevered when others would have called it a day and retired, and exemplified the highest level of sportsmanship and professionalism when after recovering from injuries found no playing time available.  He is a fine nominee for the Bill Masterton Trophy.  One hopes that it is not the capstone of his career and that there is more hockey from Poti to come.

Dmitry Orlov had an impressive rookie season in 2011-2012 – tied for eighth among rookie defensemen in goals, tied for second in assists, fourth in points, one of only 11 rookie defensemen with at least one game-winning goal, and he did this with only the 23^rd highest average ice time among rookie blueliners.  And there were the thundering hip checks…

His sophomore season was jinxed from the start.  There was the lockout that affected everyone, and Orlov started his season in Hershey.  In his first 17 games with the Bears, Orlov was a respectable 1-8-9, plus-2, although the Bears were only 7-9-1 in those games.  Then the Bears came to Verizon Center to “visit” the Norfolk Admirals, the home team for purposes of the AHL Showcase on December 6^th.  With the teams tied at a goal apiece late in the first period, Orlov sustained a double barreled hit that dropped him to the ice and might have been the one that left him with a concussion. 

That would be the last game Orlov would play until March 9^th, when he returned to action for the Bears against, who else, Norfolk.  After a four-game get well tour, he was called up to the Caps for a game against Pittsburgh on March 19^th.  Orlov lasted five games, going 0-1-1, plus-5, averaging a few ticks fewer than 15 minutes of ice time.  In the midst of a lot of personnel movement along the blue line at the end of the month and beginning of April, Orlov was returned to Hershey for the rest of the 2013 season, where he was 2-3-5, minus-2 in nine games to close the regular season and 1-2-3, even, in four playoff games in the Bears’ five-game loss to Providence in the first round.

The question going forward is whether Orlov suffers any lingering effects of his concussion.  Assuming Karl Alzner is re-signed, Orlov will likely be battling Steve Oleksy and Jack Hillen for ice time on the parent roster next fall.  The three constitute a bargain, salary cap-wise, consuming just over $2.1 million in combined cap room for the 2013-2014 season (more than half a million less than Jeff Schultz’ cap hit, by way of comparison).  But is there a reliable, healthy third-pair to be cobbled together out of that group?  Hillen and Orlov missed significant time to injuries this season.

In the end…

“Schulpotorlov” did not have the season wished for, not by a long shot. Jeff Schultz became a regular scratch, Tom Poti could never quite come all the way back from injury, and Dmitry Orlov would experience what amounted to a lost season.  None are guaranteed a sweater on a regular basis – with Washington or with another NHL team – for the 2013-2014 season.  All of them have a common goal in the season to come – “a comeback.”

Grade: incomplete