Washington Capitals: That Was The Week That Was - Week 14

The Washington Capitals flipped the calendar to a new year and passed the half-way point on their schedule in Week 14.  Two games were on the schedule, both against divisional rivals.  When the ice chips settled, it was a break-even week that left the Caps still at the top of the league standings.

Record: 1-1-0

Week 14 extended a string of games against Metropolitan Division rivals to four.  When it was over, the Caps were 6-5-1 overall against the six teams in the Metro they have faced this season (they have not yet faced Pittsburgh).  They have compiled the record by beating each of the six divisional rivals they have faced once apiece, the win over Carolina to end the week the Caps’ first in three games against the Hurricanes to date (1-1-1).  The loss to the New York Islanders to open the week squared the Caps record against the Isles at 1-1-0.  The win over Carolina also enabled the Caps to reach 61 points for the season, tying this year’s team with the 2016-2017 team (also 28-9-5) for second-most points earned through 42 games, trailing only the 2015-2016 team that had 67 points through 43 games (32-7-3).

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

Two games do not make for great opportunities for offensive fireworks, but the Caps did manage seven goals in the two games, three in a loss to the Islanders and four in a win over Carolina.  It extended a run of consistency for the Caps, who finished Week 14 having posted at least three goals in eight of ten games, averaging 3.30 goals per game over that stretch.  The Caps have been even more productive on the road of late, the four goals in Carolina on Friday giving them 17 goals in their last four road games since being shut out in Columbus, 3-0, on December 16^th.

Evgeny Kuznetsov had the big week for the Caps, recording three of the team’s seven goals.  The three goals gave him 16 in 39 games this season and have him closing in on the 21 goals he posted in 76 games last season.  He is on a pace to finish with 32 goals, which would be his first 30-goal season in seven years with the Caps.

Four other Caps posted single goals each for the week: Richard Panik, Lars Eller, Tom Wilson, and Jakub Vrana, whose goal was the game-winner in the win over Carolina.  Kuznetsov led the club in points for the week (four), while five Caps had a pair each: Nicklas Backstrom, T.J. Oshie, Alex Ovechkin, Dmitry Orlov, and Eller.

Defense: 3.50/game (season: 2.93/T-9th)

It was a strange week on the defensive side of the puck, the Caps allowing four goals and losing in a game in which they allowed only 22 shots on goal; and then allowing three goals and winning on a night when they allowed 41 shots on goal.  The 22 shots on goal that the Caps allowed to the New York Islanders was the third-lowest volume of shots allowed in a game this season and a season-low for shots allowed on home ice.  The 41 shots that Carolina rung up on the Caps was the second-highest volume of shots allowed by the Caps this season, topped only by the 44 shots allowed to Chicago in a 5-3 win on October 20^th.  Both games ended in wins for the Caps.

The shot attempts reflected the same pattern.  Against the Isles, against whom the Caps had a lead for only 3:47 of 60 minutes, the Caps were a plus-32 in shot attempt differential at 5-on-5 when behind on their way to a plus-33 for the game (their biggest shot attempt differential at 5-on-5 this season) and allowing the Islanders only 39 shot attempts at fives.  It was a different story against Carolina, who lit up the Caps for 53 shot attempts, a shot attempt total exceeded on the road only three times this season, while the minus-19 differential in shot attempts at 5-on-5 was tied for third-worst for the Caps overall so far this season.

Goaltending: 3.56 / .889 (season: 2.76 / .907)

If not for the excellent play of Ilya Samsonov recently, especially on the road, the Caps would likely find themselves, if not in jeopardy of dropping out of a playoff spot, then looking up at one or more teams in the standings.  That is because Braden Holtby is in something of a funk these days.  He allowed four goals on the first 15 shots he faced on his way to an 18-save effort on 22 shots against the Islanders in the 4-3 loss to open the week.  That brought Holtby’s record to 2-5-0, 3.71, .871 over his last seven appearances. 

As for Samsonov, he continued his remarkable record on the road.  His 38-save effort in the Caps’ 4-3 win in Carolina to end the week brought his overall record to 11-2-1, 2.33, .918; and his road record to 8-0-0, 2.19, .918. He became the first goalie to win his first eight road decisions in the NHL in a single season (Brent Johnson won his first 11 road decisions in the NHL, but those were spread over his first two seasons).  With 11 wins overall in 15 games, Samsonov tied Jim Bedard for sixth-place in wins by a rookie goalie in Caps history. 

Power Play: 2-for-6/33.3 percent (season: 22.1 percent/10th)

It wasa good week, even if the opportunities on the power play were on the light side.  Against the Islanders, the Caps were given only two power play chances, failing to convert on either one.  It was the 17^th time this season that the Caps had tw or fewer power play chances, the tenth time among those instances that they failed to record at least one power play goal.  Oddly enough, it was only the second time among those ten times being blanked that the Caps lost in regulation, both times taking place on home ice (the other loss was to Colorado in October).

The Caps had four chances against Carolina, the 14^th time this season the Caps have had four or more power play opportunities in a game and the second time in Carolina in a week.  They scored twice on four chances, the sixth time that they scored two goals when getting four or more power plays (also the second time in Carolina in a week; they had two on five chances last Saturday).

Overall, the Caps were efficient in shooting, if not in generating shots with the man advantage.  In 9:26 of power play ice time, the Caps scored twice on seven shots, recording both goals on just three shots in Carolina with 6:26 of power play ice time.

Penalty Killing: 6-for-8/75.0 percent (season: 84.2 percent/3rd)

It would have been a great week, efficiency-wise, if the week was only five periods.  The Caps killed both shorthanded situations against the Islanders to open the week, and then they were 4-for-4 through two periods of their game against Carolina.  The Hurricanes put an end to that with a pair of power play strikes six minutes apart on two chances in the third period to make a comfortable 4-1 lead a little too close for comfort.

The two chances the Caps allowed the Islanders was the 12^th time this season the Caps faced two or fewer power plays in a game.  As evidence of the best penalty kill being the one you don’t have to use, the Caps allowed only one goal in those 12 games in 19 shorthanded situations, that one coming on Opening Night in St. Louis when the Caps allowed the Blues one goal on two chances.  The six chances that the Caps gave to the Hurricanes was the fifth time this season that Washington faced six or more shorthanded situations.  It was the second time that the Caps allowed two goals in those instances, and brought the total to five goals on 33 chances in those five games.  That the Caps improved their record to 4-1-0 in those games might be a case of generating false confidence; this does not seem to be a recipe for success in the long run.

Faceoffs: 53-for-111/47.7 percent (season: 49.4 percent/20th)

It was tale of twos in Week 14 for the Caps.  They won one game handily and lost the other equally so in the faceoff circle; they were good in one end for the week, not so good in the other.  Washington dominated the Islanders in the first game of the week, winning 31 of 53 draws (58.5 percent), mostly by dominating in the offensive end (16-22/72.7 percent).  Against Carolina it was a different story, the Caps going 22-for-58 (37.9 percent), finishing under 50 percent in all three zones.  As it was, the Caps finished the week 24-for-41 in the offensive end (58.5 percent), but they were only 13-for-34 (38.2 perent) in the defensive end.

Individually, Nicklas Backstrom had a very good week in both ends, going 9-for-13 (69.2 percent) in the offensive end and 5-for-6 in the defensive end (83.3 percent) on his way to a 17-for-26 week (65.4 percent).  He was the only Capital among three taking at least ten draws to finish over 50 percent for the week.

Goals by Period:

The goals were split equally between the Caps and opponents for the week, and the goals were spread relatively smoothly among the period for the Caps and their foes.  It was how the Caps got there, particularly in the goals allowed department, that merited notice.  They started and ended the week in leaky fashion, allowing the Islanders two first period goals and allowing the Hurricanes to post three in the third period of their contest.

The Caps could stand to get off to better starts than they have to date.  While they finished the week with a plus-11 goal differential in each of the second and third periods of games, the only club with goal differentials greater than plus-10 in both the second and third periods to date, they have managed only to break even (37 goals for and against) so far.

Year-over-Year:

The Caps have regressed over the past couple of weeks to resemble more and more last year’s club on a year-over-year basis.  The difference is down to two wins and five standings points over last year’s club, while the scoring for and against is now almost identical, the difference being on more goal scored this year than last.  The Caps this year continue to maintain a healthy edge over last year’s squad in shot differential overall and shot attempt differential at 5-on-5.  Special teams are also better with this year’s group, particularly on the penalty kill, which is more than six percentage points clear of last year’s squad and is one of the best units in the league.  There is, however, the matter of penalties, which are up more than eight percent over last year, and penalty minutes, up by more than 16 percent over last year at a similar point of the season.

In the end…

The Caps have gotten a head start on the long barren slog of the winter months with only one regulation win in their last five games (2-3-0).  But every team goes through this at some point.  Well, perhaps not Tampa Bay last year, although they saved their cold spell for when it counted in the spring.  It makes all those points the Caps banked early, especially on the road, important as they try to keep the Islanders, Penguins, and Hurricanes small images in their rear-view mirror.

Three Stars:

• First Star: Evgeny Kuznetsov (1-3-4, even, 5 shots on goal, 6 shot attempts)
• Second Star: Ilya Samsonov (1-0-0, 3.02, .927)
• Third Star: Lars Eller (1-1-2, plus-4, 3 shots on goal)

Captain rates the week…

Two puppers

The Peerless Prognosticator is ON THE AIR!!! -- Game 43: Sharks at Capitals, January 5th

The Peerless Prognosticator is ON THE AIR!!!

The Washington Capitals return to home ice on Sunday afternoon to host the San Jose Sharks in a matchup of teams who got their 2020 schedules off to a good start with wins.  The Caps will be trying to use their win over Carolina on Saturday as a foothold on which to return to their winning ways, while the Sharks are hoping their overtime win over Pittsburgh signals a reversal from a disastrous December that saw them sink out of sight of a playoff spot.

Then and Now…

Sunday will mark the 45^th time these teams have met, the Caps holding a 15-24-4 (one tie) record in the series to date, 7-11-4 on home ice.  Since 2005-2006, Washington is 7-11-4 against the Sharks overall and 2-4-4 in DC.  The Caps go into this game with a five-game points streak against the Sharks (4-0-1).

Active Leaders vs. Opponent…

Noteworthy Opponents…

San Jose had a ghastly December, going 2-9-2, the worst record in the league for the month.  They were awful on both sides of the puck, their 27 goals tying Detroit for fewest in December, their 47 goals allowed tying Ottawa for sixth-most allowed.  On the offensive side of the puck, they just did not get much production from their old guard.  Patrick Marleau and Joe Thornton, who have combined for almost 1,000 goals (972) and more than 3,300 games played (3,303) in their respective careers, combined for two goals, one apiece, in 13 games in December.  Thornton has been more of a set-up man in his career, seventh all-time in career assists in the NHL (1,080), but that one goal he had in December is his only goal this season. 

It is part of a late-career drop-off in goal scoring for the 22-year veteran, who has 37 goals over his last 241 games over the last three and a half seasons.  His assists are down as well, the 15 he has in 42 games being his lowest on a per-game basis (0.36 assists per game) since his sophomore season in the NHL, in 1998-1999, when he averaged 0.31 assists per game in 81 games for the Boston Bruins.  Is Thornton coming out of his half-season slump?  He has points in three of his last four games (1-3-4), but he had points in three of four games (0-3-3) in late November before going 0-3-3 in his next 11 games.  His production tracks with his ice time, to a point, the 14:37 in ice time per game being the lowest of his career.  The 40-year old Thornton, who contemplated retirement last summer, is on a one-year contract this season at $2.0 million, and one cannot but wonder if it is the last one he will have with the Sharks.  In 47 career games against the Capitals, he is 17-32-49, plus-9.

Marleau is the all-time franchise leader, or close to it, in a lot of offensive categories – games played (1,531/1^st), goals (515/1^st), assists (582/2^nd), points (1,097/1^st), power play goals (161/1^st), shorthanded goals (17/1^st), and game-winning goals (99/1^st).  He has only seven goals in 38 games so far this season, the 0.18 goals per game being his lowest output since he averaged 0.18 goals per game in 74 games in his rookie season with the Sharks in 1997-1998.  The same applies for his assist production, his 0.21 assists per game being the lowest of his career.  Like Thornton, production and ice time have a relationship with Marleau.  He is averaging 15:33 per game, his lowest ice time per game since he averaged 14:04 with the Sharks in 2001-2002. 

Marleau started the season respectably, posting six point in his first six games (2-4-6).  But then, he recorded only five points in his next 17 games (4-1-5) and followed that up with an 11-game streak without a point.  He has been more visible of late, going 1-3-4 in his last four games heading into the Sunday contest.  Marleau, who has spent most of his career with the Sharks, returned this season to the club after spending two seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs.  The Leafs traded him to the Carolina Hurricanes last June with a conditional first round pick and a 2020 seventh round pick for a sixth-round pick.  Carolina subsequently bought Marleau out, and he signed a one-year/$700,000 deal in October to return to San Jose.  He, like Thornton a 40-year old (they are the second and third oldest players in the league), might be playing on his last contract as well.  In 34 career games against Washington, Marleau is 9-14-23, plus-4.

Through Friday, 40 goaltenders logged at least 1,000 minutes this season.  Among them, Martin Jones ranked 34^th in goals against average (3.13) and 38^th in save percentage (.893).  He was last in the league in even strength save percentage (.886) among all goalies appearing in at least ten games.  It has to be of considerable concern for the Sharks, who have seen Jones’ goals against average rise from 2.27 in his first year with the club (2016-2017, after arriving from the Los Angeles Kings), and his save percentage drop from .918 that same season. If he finishes this season with a save percentage under .900, it will be his second straight season under that threshold.

December was unkind to Jones, who was either bad or unlucky, or both.  He was 1-7-0, 3.45, .882 in eight games, but twice he had game save percentages of .935 or better and lost, a 3-1 loss to Nashville in which he allowed two goals on 31 shots, and his last appearance in which he stopped 21 of 22 shots in a 2-0 loss to Detroit on New Year’s Eve.  Jones has struggled on the road, where he is 3-8-1 (one no-decision), 3.34, .889 in 13 appearances.  Jones lost all four of his decisions in December on the road with a 3.04 goals against average and a .896 save percentage.  In nine career appearances against the Caps, Jones is 5-4-0, 2.79, .904.  It is worth noting, though, that after shutting out the Caps in his first two visits to Washington with the Sharks, he stopped only 58 of 68 shots (.853 save percentage) in his last two visits to DC, splitting two decisions.

1.  San Jose’s power play on the road in December would have a hard time keeping an appliance bulb lit.  They were 1-for-16 (6.3 percent), the worst power play on the road in the league in December.

2.  How many players would you have gone through on the Sharks roster before settling on Kevin Labanc as the Shark with the only power play goal on the road for December (against Florida)?

3.  In going 0-4-1 on the road in December, the Sharks never led at either intermission in the five games.  They allowed the first goal in all five games as well.

4.  In five road games in December, San Jose scored a total of five goals, no Shark with more than one.

5.  No Shark had a multi-point game on the road in December.

1.  The Caps might be happy to get at least a couple of home games this week.  Only Los Angeles and Montreal had fewer home games in December (four apiece) than the Caps (five).

2.  The Caps were 21-for-21 killing penalties on home ice in December, the only team with a perfect penalty kill on home ice for the month.

3.  The flip side of that is that the Caps were shorthanded 4.20 times per game on home ice in December, most in the league.

4.  Odd stat… the Caps had a “net” penalty kill of over 100 percent in December, owing to the fact that they had one shorthanded goal scored, thus leaving them with a net penalty kill for the month of 104.8.

5.  In five games on home ice in December, the Caps never held a lead after one period, the only team in the league failing to do so.

The Peerless’ Players to Ponder

San Jose: Brent Burns

Over a five-year period ending with the 2018-2019 season, Brent Burns put up some impressive statistics from the blue line.  He was tied for second in games played among defensemen (410, trailing Keith Yandle’s 412), first in goals by a wide margin (101 to 84 for Oliver Ekman-Larsson), tied with Erik Karlsson for most assists (260), first in points by a wide margin (361 to 326 for Karlsson), first in even strength goals (65), third in power play goals (34), second in game-winning goals (20), and third in minutes played (10,252).

This season, though, the numbers have slipped some in tandem with just about everyone else on the team.  His seven goals in 42 games (0.17 per game) is slightly off last year’s pace (0.20 goals per game), while his assists have fallen off more (from 0.82 per game to 0.50 per game), as have his points (from 1.01 per game to 0.67).  An important offensive weapon with a deadly shot, he has seen his shots drop off as well.  Averaging 2.86 shots per game, Burns has his lowest average since recording 2.70 shots per game with the Sharks in 2012-2013.  He has been more active and more productive lately, though, averaging 3.71 shots per game over his last seven contests while going 2-5-7.  Burns is 6-11-17, minus-2, in 19 career games against the Caps.

Washington: Garnet Hathaway

Fourth liners are supposed to be “energy” guys who can aggravate, stimulate, occasionally intimidate, and chip in some offense from time to time.  Garnet Hathaway was just that in December.  He had, for a fourth liner, good offensive production (4-1-5 in 13 games), his lone goal being the game-winner in a 5-2 win over Tampa Bay on December 14^th.  He had a two-point game (both goals) against the Sharks to open the month, his only multi-point game this season.  His 23.5 percent shooting (four goals on 17 shots) was best on the club.  He had 25 penalty minutes (second on the team to Tom Wilson’s 34) and 32 hits, he and Wilson the only players to post the double of at least 30 hits while logging at least 25 penalty minutes.  And Hathaway did all this while averaging just 10:33 in ice time per game (only Brendan Leipsic averaged less among Caps with at least five games: 9:20).

It would be a plus if Hathaway could bring his home production up to what he has accomplished on the road, although he is hardly alone among Capitals in that regard.  On the road, he is 4-4-8 (including his game-winning goal), plus-7, in 22 games, but on home ice so far he is 2-2-4, minus-1, in 17 games.  He has only one point in his last 12 games at Capital One Arena.  That was a game in which he displayed his feisty side as well.  He has an assist and 15 penalty minutes in a 5-2 win over Anaheim on November 18^th.  You might also remember that this was the game in which he squared off with the Ducks’ Erik Gudbranson, his actions leading to a game misconduct penalty and a three-game suspension for “intent to injure/spitting.”  Not that Hathaway has been a shrinking violet against the Sharks.  In 11 career games against San Jose, he is 3-3-6, plus-1, with 24 penalty minutes.

In the end…

The Sharks are a mess.  They fired head coach Peter DeBoer after starting the season 15-16-2, but they have not done any better under Bob Boughner (3-5-1).  They are a poor road team (7-10-2/25^th in points percentage), their 3-2 overtime win in Pittsburgh on Thursday notwithstanding.  They will play in Columbus on Saturday afternoon before arriving in Washington for the fourth game of a five-game road trip, playing their third game in four days.

The Caps have been teetering on shaky skates themselves over the past couple of weeks, a victim of a pace that would be hard to sustain over a long season and a bug that seemed to be working its way through the team.  But given the choice between where these teams are, the condition in which they find themselves, and what direction they are headed, the Caps are the better bet.

Capitals 5 – Sharks 2

The Peerless Prognosticator is ON THE AIR!!! -- Game 42: Capitals at Hurricanes, January 3rd

The Peerless Prognosticator is ON THE AIR!!!

The suddenly lackluster Washington Capitals take to the road on Friday, returning to Raleigh, NC, to face the Carolina Hurricanes as they kick off the second half of their regular season schedule.  The Caps will be looking to end their longest streak of losses in regulation this season – two – and stop a slide in which they have lost three of their last four games and just 5-5-0 in their last ten games.  Carolina comes into this game in the midst of an odd series of streaks – odd numbers, that is.  A three-game winning streak followed by a three-game losing streak, and now trying to extend their current winning streak, which began with their 6-4 win over the Caps last weekend, to three games.

Then and Now…

The Caps and ‘Canes will meet for the 177th time on Friday night, including games the Caps played against the Hartford Whalers before they moved to North Carolina.  Washington is 98-55-9 (14 ties) against Carolina overall, 45-29-4 (ten ties) on the road.  Since 2005-2006, Washington is 45-27-8 against the Hurricanes, 21-15-3 on the road.

Active Leaders vs. Opponent…

Noteworthy Opponents…

In 2010-2011, it was Eric Staal and Jeff Skinner who were the go-to scorers, the former with 33 goals and 76 points, the latter with 31 goals and 63 points that season.  They are gone, Staal with the Minnesota Wild and Skinner with the Buffalo Sabres.  The go-to guys now are Sebastian Aho and Andrei Svechnikov, the former with 23 goals (team leader) and 36 points, the latter with 17 goals and 38 points.  They are also two of the youngest skaters on the team, Svechnikov being the youngest to dress this season (he will turn 20 in March) and Aho the fifth youngest skater to dress this season (he turned 22 last July).

With 38 points, Svechnikov has already passed his rookie total in points (37), set in less than half the games (40) he played last season (82), and he has trampled his power play numbers from last season, improving from no goals to five power play goals this season and from five power play points last season to 14 so far this season.  His shooting efficiency has improved from 10.6 to 15.6 percent, and his ice time is up almost two minutes a game, from 14:39 last year to 16:38 so far this year.  He has taken a place as a primary scorer on whom the team depends for success.  In 15 games in which Svechnikov has a goal this season, the club is 13-2-0, and they have yet to lose at home when he posts a goal, including last week’s win over the Caps, even if it happened to be an empty-netter in the 6-4 Hurricanes win.  With Svechnikov, ice time is worth watching, even if it is to get him on ice for more shifts late if Carolina is behind.  The Hurricanes are 14-12-1 when he skated more than 15:50, 10-2-1 when he skated less than 15:50.  He is 1-3-4, plus-2, in six career games against the Caps.

Aho has become the cornerstone player for the Hurricanes, a gifted offensive player that has been uncommon, even for a franchise with its share of skilled offensive players over the years.  Among players 22 years old or younger in franchise history, Aho ranks fifth in goals (106) and could catch Jeff Skinner (115) and Geoff Sanderson (119) by year’s end to take over third place behind Ron Francis (127) and Sylvain Turgeon (139).  He ranks second in that group in career assists (127) to Francis (272), and he is third in points (233) behind Turgeon (249) and Francis (399).  He has the best plus-minus rating of any 22-or-younger player in team history (plus-38), ranks seventh in power play goals (22), and leads the group in shorthanded goals (eight) and game-winning goals (19). 

Odd Aho fact… Sebastian Aho is not the only “Sebastian Aho” to play in the NHL.  The Sebastian Aho drafted in the fifth round of the 2017 Entry Draft by the New York Islanders played in 22 games for the Isles in 2017-2018.  Carolina’s version, taken in the second round of the 2015 Entry Draft, started a bit slowly this season, going 2-1-3 in his first nine games, but he has 21 goals and 33 points in his last 31 games, the 21 goals being more than any player in the league over that span, and ten goals in his last 11 games.  His performance on home ice has been a recent wonder.  He had a nine-game points streak on home ice (6-3-9) that was stopped on November 29^th against Nashville.  Starting with that game, he has six points in six home games, but five of them came in a 6-2- win over Minnesota on December 7^th.  Aho is 8-9-17, even, in 14 career games against the Caps.

If Petr Mrazek gets the call in goal against the Caps, it will be his 12^th career appearance against Washington, tying the number of appearances he has against Montreal and a number exceeded only by the 13 he has against Florida, and the 15 he has against both Tampa Bay and the New York Islanders.  To the extent he has familiarity with any opponent, he has it against the Caps.  His record as a Hurricane against the Caps is an odd, if thin one.  Leave aside last spring’s postseason when he was the goaltender of record in all seven games of a Hurricanes’ series win, despite a save percentage under .900 (.899) and allowing three or more goals four times.  His lone regular season win against the Caps came at home last week, but it came in the game (of three appearances against the Caps with Carolina) in which he allowed the most goals (four).

Overall this season, Mrazek has not wowed anyone.  Only three goalies in the league have more games with a save percentage under .900 than he does (13) – Sergei Bobrovsky (15), MacKenzie Blackwood (15), and Martin Jones (18).  And, those 13 games represent half of his total appearances this season (26).  It matters.  Carolina has not lost a game in regulation in which Mrazek’s save percentage was over .900 (12-0-1), while they are 4-8-1 in the 13 games he was below that threshold.  He does seem to perform better with more work, too.  In 14 games in which he faced 29 or more shots, he is 12-1-1, while in the 12 games he faced 28 or fewer shots, he is 4-7-1.  Mrazek is 4-5-2, 2.65, .912, with one shutout in 11 career appearances against the Caps. 

1.  No team allows fewer shots on goal per game on home ice than Carolina this season (26.6).

2.  The Hurricanes have the second-best winning percentage in the league when trailing after two periods on home ice (3-4-0/.429).  Only Boston is better (4-1-3/.500).

3.  Carolina’s winning percentage when trailing after two periods on home ice is actually better than their winning percentage when trailing after one period (2-3-0/.400).

4.  Only two teams have allowed more first period goals on home ice than Carolina (20) – Edmonton (21) and Vegas (22).

5.  Three teams have yet to allow an overtime goal on home ice this season -- Philadelphia, Arizona, and Carolina.

1.  The Caps are tied with Toronto for most goals scored on the road this season (79), and they have been balanced about it, scoring 19 in the first period (tied for fifth most), 26^th in the second period (fourth), 31 in the third period (first), and three in overtime (tied for second).  They are the only team in the league to rank in the top-five in all periods in goals scored on the road.

2.  Washington leads the league in goals scored at 5-on-6 on the road (seven).

3.  The Caps lead from ahead on the road.  They are tied for the league lead in road wins when leading after one period (eight, with Toronto), and they are second in road wins when leading after two periods (ten).

4.  The Caps have taken more penalties on the road (96) than any other team in the league except the New York Ranger (103).

5.  The Caps have dressed 25 skaters this season so far.  Of that group, 19 have hit at least one post or crossbar on a shot attempt.  The only one of the six who has not who appeared in at least 20 games: Radko Gudas (no iron in 41 games).

The Peerless’ Players to Ponder

Carolina: Teuvo Teravainen

Seventeen teams passed on Teuvo Teravainen at the top of the 2012 Entry Draft.  The Caps passed on him twice, taking Filip Forsberg with the 11^th overall pick and then Tom Wilson with the 16^th overall pick before Chicago took Teravainen with the 18^th overall pick.  And then, Chicago did not think so much of him that they wouldn’t trade him after three years with the Blackhawks in a trade Blackhawk fans might rather forget, sending Teravainen and Bryan Bickell to Carolina for a 2016 second round draft pick and a 2017 third round pick.  Chicago took Artur Kayumov with the former and the latter was traded to the Detroit Red Wings for Tomas Jurco.  Teravainen might have been moved for salary cap management reasons, but the hockey side of the deal did not and has not favored Chicago.

In his fourth season with the Hurricanes, Teravainen has reached the status of a point-per-game player (40 points in 40 games) that, if extended to the end of the season, would continue an uninterrupted string of improvements in points as a Hurricane, from 42 in 2016-2017 to 64 two seasons ago, to 76 last season.  The odd part of his scoring this season is the lack of his own goal scoring.  He has only seven goals on 114 shots.  The shots pace is the highest of his career (2.85 per game, far above the 2.26 per game he had in 2017-2018), but his 6.1 shooting percentage is his lowest since he finished at 6.1 percent in 34 games with the Blackhawks in 2014-2015.  He has been hot of late, but in a cold way.  While he does not have a goal in his last 16 games, going 0-for-45 shooting, he has 14 points in his last 11 games, all of them assists.  Teravainen is 4-9-13, plus-2, in 16 career games against the Capitals.

Washington: Michal Kempny

If Capitals fans are disappointed that defenseman Nick Jensen has not been “Michal Kempny, 2.0,” both defensemen and both trade deadline acquisitions a year apart in joining the Caps, they might be bewildered at what is going on with “Michal Kempny, 1.0.”  Kempny, who was injured late last season in a game against Tampa Bay, underwent surgery, and delayed his return to the ice this season with rehab, rejoined the Caps in Game 9 against the New York Rangers and promptly posted 11 points in his first 11 games (3-8-11).  Since then, however, Kempny has only a pair of assists on his scoring record over his last 20 games and has a minus-2 rating over that span.  He has picked up his shot frequency over that dry spell, starting it with only 10 shots in 13 games before posting 14 in his last seven games.  One constant, though, has been his weak possession numbers.  His on-ice shot attempts-for at 5-on-5 was 46.3 percent in those first nine games when he scored a point a game, and in his last 20 games it is 48.5 percent.  In both blocks it was the worst number among Capital defensemen appearing in more than one game; in the more recent block it was the only number under 50 percent among the seven defensemen appearing in more than one game.  It would be nice if Kempny could shake loose on the road in Carolina.  Since posting a pair of goals in Vancouver against the Canucks on October 25^th, his only two goals on the road so far this season, he is 0-3-3 in 13 road games.  Kempny is 2-1-3, plus-1, in five career games against the Hurricanes.

In the end…

The Caps are just 3-3-0 against Metropolitan Division teams on the road so far and have lost three of their last four road games against division opponents.  In those last four division games on the road the Caps allowed a total of 16 goals while scoring only 11, six of them in their only win, a 6-3 victory over New Jersey on December 20^th.  This game will kick off a stretch of six division games in the next eight contests for the Caps.  If they want to avoid slipping back to the pack in the standings, they need to start taking better care of divisional business.

Capitals 5 – Hurricanes 3

The Peerless Prognosticator is ON THE AIR!!! -- Game 41: Islanders at Capitals, December 31st

The Peerless Prognosticator is ON THE AIR!!!

The curtain comes down on the 2019 portion of the season, and the Caps wrap up the first half of their regular season schedule when they host the New York Islanders on New Year’s Eve in a matinee matchup at Capital One Arena.  The Caps will be looking to extend their home winning streak to four games, one short of their season high, while the Islanders try to extend their own run of success on the road (4-1-0 in their last five road games).

Then and Now…

This will be the 220th meeting of these teams in the all-time series.  Washington has a 110-90-6 (13 ties) record against the Isles, 56-39-3 (11 ties) at home.  Since 2005-2006, the Caps are 33-18-6 against the Islanders overall, 16-9-3 in Washington.

Active Leaders vs. Opponent…

Noteworthy Opponents…

The Islanders are not a young team by today’s NHL standards.  At the start of the season they were the third-oldest, by average age, in the league, the average age of the roster being almost a year and a half older than the league average.  That makes Martin Barzal, the second youngest Islander to dress for at least five games this season (Anthony Beauvillier is 13 days younger) a critical part of the team’s present and future.  Barzal, who leads the team in goals in December (six), is already in his fourth season with the team at age 22.  The Calder Trophy winner as top rookie in his first full season (2017-2018) is on a pace to establish a career high in goals.  With 16 goals in 37 games he is on a pace to finish with 35, which would be well clear of the 22 he posted in his Calder-winning rookie season.  The odd part about his scoring line, though, is the lack of assists.  He had 17 in 37 games, putting him on a pace for 38 helpers, which would be a career low for Barzal.

If anything, he has picked his goal scoring a bit in recent games.  Over his last 14 contests he has seven goals (a 41-goal pace), but that comes with a 22.6 percent shooting percentage.  As a foundational component of the Islander attack, his contributions matter.  New York is 18-3-2 in the 23 games in which he recorded at least one point, 6-7-1 in the 14 games in which he was held off the score sheet.  Odd Barzal Fact… While he is not a prolific shooter (his 80 shots on goal rank fourth on the team this season), he is a consistent one.  Barzal has posted at least one shot on goal in 34 of 37 games overall, and only once – November 25^th against Anaheim – did he fail to record a shot on goal in a road game.  Barzal is 1-4-5, minus-5, in 10 career games against the Caps.

Jordan Eberle sits square in the middle of the age range of the Islanders at age 29.  Unfortunately for the Isles, he does not occupy a similar position in the stat sheets so far this season, at least insofar as goal scoring is concerned.  After posting a total of 44 goals and 96 points in his first two seasons with the club after coming over from Edmonton in a trade for Ryan Strome in June 2017, Eberle has three goals in 27 games so far this season and has missed ten games to a lower body injury, his longest absence to injury since missing 13 games to a shoulder injury in 2015-2016.  His season started slowly with no goals in his first 14 games.  Then, after potting a pair of goals against Detroit in a 4-1 win to open December, he has only one goal in his last 12 games, although he is setting up others with nine assists in that span.

Eberle occupies an odd and obscure place in Capitals history.  He was taken 22^nd overall in the 2008 Entry Draft by the Edmonton Oilers.  The Capitals passed on him with the pick immediately preceding that one, opting instead for Anton Gustafsson, who would become the second of three skaters taken in the first round that year not to appear in an NHL game (Kyle Beach, taken 11^th overall by Chicago; and Daultan Leveille, taken 29^th overall by Atlanta, were the others).  Eberle is second in his draft class in goals scored (212, to Steven Stamkos’ 407) and third in points (495, to 801 for Stamkos and 591 for Erik Karlsson). Eberle is 1-5-6, minus-9, in 18 career games against Washington.

At some point, one would think the Islanders are going to have to decide which of their goaltenders will be their number one netminder.  So far, though, that choice seems to have been pushed to the back burner.  The Isles have divided the starts almost down the middle so far, Semyon Varlamov getting 19 starts and Thomas Greiss getting 18 starts.  Varlamov’s numbers are slightly better, but not so much so that he has put distance between himself and Greiss in the race for number one.  His goals against average is better (2.40 to 2.58), but his save percentage (.920) is almost indistinguishable from Greiss’ (.919).  Varlamov has the only shutout posted by an Islander goalie this season, a 1-0 win over Buffalo on November 2^nd.  What Varlamov has not done is lose, at least not often in regulation.  He has only three losses in regulation in 19 decisions (13-3-3), while Greiss had seven regulation losses in 18 decisions (11-7-0).

If you are looking for the hot goalie, it is not Greiss.  After going 9-1-0 (one no decision), 2.07, .934 in his first 11 appearances, he is 2-6-0, 3.49, .896 in his last eight appearances.  He is 3-3-1, 2.15, .927, with one shutout in seven career games against the Capitals.  On the other hand, Varlamov is 6-0-1 (four no-decisions), 2.07, .930 in his last 11 appearances.  He is 3-5-1, 2.45, .932 in nine career appearances against Washington.

1.  Only the Caps have a better points percentage in road games this season (.750) than the Islanders (.639) among Eastern Conference teams.

2.  The Isles certainly haven’t done it on the road with offense.  They have 45 goals in 18 road contests to date, fifth-fewest goal total on the road in the league.  On the other hand, New York’s 2.44 goals allowed per game is fewest on the road in the league this season.

3.  The Islanders have scored only ten first period goals on the road this season.  Only Florida has scored fewer (nine, in two fewer games).  At the other end, no team has allowed fewer third period goals on the road than the Isles (12, tied with Colorado).

4. New York protects leads effectively on the road.  They are 4-0-0 when leading at the first intermission of road games, 7-0-0 when leading after two periods, the only team in the league with perfect records when leading at either intermission on the road.

5.  The Islanders have yet to lose a game on the road this season by one goal in regulation, one of four teams not to do so (New Jersey, St. Louis, and San Jose are the others).

1.  The Caps’ last three losses to the Islanders in Washington have been by shutout – 3-0 in December 2016, 2-0 last January, and 3-0 last April.

2.  Washington has the second-best penalty killing rate in the league on home ice (88.0 percent, trailing only San Jose with 91.1 percent).

3.  Winning in the NHL when falling behind is tough, but the Caps are better than most in doing so.  The Caps and Boston are the only teams in the league ranking in the top-five in winning percentage when trailing after one period and trailing after two periods on home ice.

4.  Washington is one of five teams that has not yet lost a game in regulation when scoring first on home ice with a record of 6-0-3 (Toronto, St. Louis, Buffalo, and Dallas are the others).  No team has more wins when trailing first on home ice than the Caps (five, tied with Toronto, Calgary, Pittsburgh, and the Islanders).

5.  The Caps have the second highest penalties taken per 60 minutes on home ice in the league (4.30), trailing only Ottawa (4.33).

The Peerless’ Players to Ponder

New York: Johnny Boychuk

If it seems that Johnny Boychuk has been in the league since before helmets were mandatory, it only seems that way.  If you need a frame of reference as to where his NHL career got its start, he was drafted by Colorado in the second round of the 2008 Entry Draft, 61^st overall and two spots ahead of where the Caps selected Tomas Fleischmann, who last played in the NHL in 2015-2016.  Boychuk is in his 13^th NHL season and will dress for his 700^th NHL game as soon as Saturday in Toronto (he has 697 games played).  Later this season he is likely to become the 16^th defenseman in Islanders history to dress for 400 games (he has 376 games played with New York).

Boychuk has never been a big offensive producer; he has only one season with more than 25 points, that coming in his first year with the Islanders in 2014-2015 (9-26-35).  But he has logged hard minutes, evidenced by the fact that in 12 seasons preceding this one he dressed for more than 70 games only four times.  In six seasons with the Islanders, Boychuk has missed 71 of 447 games, more than 15 percent of the schedule.

This season, Boychuk has missed only one game to date, but his minutes are down, perhaps a concession to the fact that he is the oldest defenseman on the roster by more than seven years at 35 years old (Nick Leddy is 28).  Odd Boychuk Fact… The Islanders have perfect records on the rare occasions when Boychuk did not record a credited hit (3-0-0) or a blocked shot (4-0-0).  He is 3-5-8, plus-2, in 34 career games against the Caps.

Washington: Jonas Siegenthaler

The development of defensemen is sometimes one requiring patience, but Jonas Siegenthaler is giving some signs that he might be a bigger offensive contributor than one might have projected.  As a rookie last season, he posted four points (all assists) in 26 games.  He opened this season with two assists in his first 17 games before recording his first NHL goal (against Vegas) in his 18^th contest.  Less than three weeks later, he had his first multi-point game in the NHL, recording a pair of assists in a win over the Florida Panthers.  He went his next nine games without a point, but he is 1-2-3, plus-3, over his last five games heading into the contest with the Islanders.

If there is an odd feature about his game, it is in the difference between his home and road profiles this season.  He is more active in road games than home games to date.  In 22 road games he has skated 454 shifts, 100 more than he has recorded in 18 home games (354), and he is averaging more than 17 minutes per game on the road (17:13) compared to 15:57 per game on home ice.  He has been slightly more productive offensively on home ice, but not significantly so, going 1-4-5, plus-4, in 18 home games and 1-2-3, plus-5, in 22 road contests.  His goal on home ice is his only game-winner to date, coming in the Caps’ 5-2 win over Vegas on November 9^th.  With another multi-point game, Siegenthaler would become the fifth Capital defenseman to hit double digits in points this season, matching the number they had last season.  In three career games against the Islanders he does not have a point and has a minus-1 rating.

In the end…

With a win in regulation, the Caps would carry a ten-point division lead over the second-place Islanders into the new year.  How big would that be?  If the Caps were to win only half of the remaining points on their schedule (41 in 41 games), they would finish with 102 points.  The Islanders would need 51 points in their last 44 games to tie the Caps.  That would not be a pace far off the 51 points in 38 games they would finish with in the 2019 portion of the schedule.  A 28^th win in 41 games would be the second highest win total for the Caps at the 41-game mark in team history, trailing only the 2015-2016 team that had 31 wins after 41 games.  We doubt the team thinks about such things, but it that would not diminish the accomplishment for this year’s club, and it would be especially welcome at the expense of a division rival.

Capitals 4 – Islanders 2

Washington Capitals: That Was The Week That Was - Week 13

It is an unlucky number, or at least “13” was for the Caps.  Week 13 was the first week this season in which the Caps had a losing week, a week with a points percentage under .500.  And frankly, it could have been worse but for a rookie goaltender who gave the Caps a chance for a comeback to earn the two points they posted for the week.

Record: 1-2-0

Until Week 13, the Caps went 22 weeks dating back to last season with one inconsequential week in which they failed to earn half the standings points available to them (1-2-0 in the last week of the 2018-2019 regular season).  Over that span, the Caps were 47-15-7, the most wins in the league and the second-highest point total over that span (101), trailing only the St. Louis Blues (102), who played one more game over that period.

But then there was Week 13, and for the Caps it was ugly, by their standards.  Two multi-goal losses brought the total of multi-goal losses for the season to seven.  While that is still the second-fewest number of multi-goal losses this season (Boston has four), it is seven multi-goal losses among eight losses in regulation this season.  The opening game of the week, a 7-3 loss to the Boston Bruins, was the Caps’ sixth loss this season by three or more goals.  At week’s end, that was more losses by three or more goals than eight other teams, a surprising result given that the Caps were tied for the second-fewest number of regulation losses this season (seven, with St. Louis).

Offense: 3.00/game (season: 3.50/4th)

The Caps spread things around on offense in Week 13. That is the good news.  Eight different players accounted for the total of nine goals for the week.  The trouble was, seven of them recorded a single goal.  Alex Ovechkin was the only player to post two goals for the week, bringing his career total to 682, two short of Teemu Selanne for 11th place on the all-time list of NHL goal scorers.

As much who did score goals, the problem was who did not.  Jakub Vrana was blanked for the week, bringing his streak of games without a goal to nine.  It might be a sign of his importance to the Capitals’ offensive scheme that in those nine games, the Caps are only 5-4-0.  It is worth noting in that context that the Caps have not lost a game in regulation in which Vrana scored a goal this season (9-0-2).

The Caps had 15 skaters record at least one point in Week 13, Brendan Leipsic and Nick Jensen the only players dressing for all three games who did not record a point.  Ovechkin (2-1-3) and John Carlson (0-3-3) led the team with three points apiece, while seven other Caps contributed two points apiece.  They just could not outscore the shortcomings at the other end.  Ten of those 15 skaters finished the week with minus ratings, four of them with minus-5 or worse: Ovechkin (minus-7), T.J. Oshie (minus-7), Lars Eller (minus-6), and Nicklas Backstrom (minus-5).  The painful part of that was that the Caps dominated shot totals for the week, averaging 11 more shots on goal per game (35.7) than the three opponents (24.7), the third-highest shot differential in the league for the week.

Defense: 4.67/game (season: 2.90/11th)

Those 24.7 shots allowed per game by the Caps was the lowest in the league for the week, dropping them to 30.2 shots allowed per game for the season, seventh-fewest in the league at the end of the week.  They held all three opponents under 30 shots, extending their streak of games holding opponents under 30 shots to seven, their longest streak of the season and the longest such streak in more than three years, since they had a seven-game streak in Games 2-8 in the 2016-2017 season.

The shot attempts allowed were good and bad.  Even in the same game.  For instance, there was the opening game of the week in which the Caps allowed the Boston Bruins only 17 shot attempts at 5-on-5, the low in attempts allowed for the season for Washington and the low in attempts made by Boston for the season.  On the other hand, this might be explained away as score effects, the Bruins jumping out to a 4-0 first period lead and coasting in from there.  The Caps did have a plus-29 attempt advantage in that game when trailing.

The Caps did finish the week plus-34 in 5-on-5 shot attempts, but almost all of it (plus-32) came with the Caps trailing in games.  The Caps were “even” in shot attempt differential when leading, but that was the product of no shot attempts for or against when leading, the Caps only lead of the week coming when they scored in overtime to beat Columbus in the middle game of the week.

Goaltending: 3.66 / .845 (season: 2.72 / .908)

Week 13 was a tale of two goaltenders that one can think of in terms of it being one chapter in a story that spans the season.  And in this chapter one could not help but harbor a sense of foreboding.  Ilya Samsonov got the middle game of the week, and but for his effort, stopping 27 of 28 shots in 63 minutes of work, it would have been a winless week for the Caps.  That he won on home ice was a bit unusual, it being only his fifth start on home ice among his 12 starts this season.  Nevertheless, it was the seventh time in 12 starts that the rookie netminder allowed two or fewer goals.  He finished the week with the second-highest number of wins among rookie goalies (10, trailing New Jersey’s MacKenzie Blackwood with 11) and the best goals against average (2.28) and save percentage (.918) among rookie goalies appearing in five or more games.

For Braden Holtby, one had to think of a glass being half full or half empty.  The half empty part was that it was an awful week for the veteran.  An 0-2-0 record, 6.78 goals against average, .769 save percentage, and he was pulled after one period against Boston.  It extended his slump to four games, over which he is 1-3-0, 4.01, .851.  The glass half-full way of thinking about this is that the recent struggle is reminiscent of how he ended the 2017-2018 regular season in which he posted a record of 6-6-0, 3.67, .881 in his last 12 appearances before sitting to begin the first two games of the postseason in favor of Philipp Grubauer.  Caps fans will remember that he turned things around quite effectively after that.  Still, one cannot help but wonder if his pending free agency isn’t at least having some effect, even on a subconscious level, on his play.

Power Play: 3-for-15/20.0 percent (season: 21.6 percent/11th)

Getting 15 power play chances in three games was a good thing.  It was the highest volume of power play chances the Caps have enjoyed in any week so far this season.  The three power play goals matched the second-highest output of man advantage goals for a week, topped only by the four power play goals they scored in Week 2.

That, however, is where the good news ended.  Two shorthanded goals allowed left the Caps with a net plus-1 in goal differential on their own power play, a “net” power play efficiency of 6.7 percent.  Those two shorthanded goals allowed doubled the total for the Caps this season and dropped them to 12^th place in net power play (18.4 percent) for the season.

The Caps managed 30 shots on goal on the man advantage in 26:53 of power play ice time.  The shots were spread around, Alex Ovechkin finishing with eight (one goal), Evgeny Kuznetsov with six (one goal), and T.J. Oshie with four (one goal) along with Lars Eller.

Penalty Killing: 8-for-11/72.7 percent (season: 84.7 percent/3rd)

More than the “how many” was the “when” with respect to the penalty kill and the goals allowed in Week 13.  The Caps opened the week allowing a power play goal to the Boston Bruins in the sixth minute of their game, and then they allowed another with 63 seconds left in the first period to fall behind, 4-0, a hole too deep out of which to climb. 

The Caps did the same thing to open their game against Carolina, allowing the game’s first goal on a power play in the 11^th minute to give the Hurricanes a lead they would never relinquish, despite the Caps shaving a two-goal Carolina lead to one goal three times before losing, 6-4.  The timing of failure on the penalty kill, as much as anything else, contributed to the losing week.

Then there is the sheer volume of shorthanded situations faced.  Week 13 was the tenth week in 13 that the Caps went shorthanded ten or more times.  No team in the league at week’s end was shorthanded more often than the Caps for the season overall (144).  That the Caps allowed only 22 goals when shorthanded (tied for 12^th fewest) might be seen as a victory in the face of self-inflicted damage.

The Caps’ penalty killers did an adequate job of minimizing shots, allowing only eight shots on goal in 15:57 of shorthanded ice time.  However, three goals on eight shots more or less negated the effects of low shot volumes.

Faceoffs: 87-for-174/50.0 percent (season: 49.5 percent/21st)

It was a weird week in the circle for the Caps.  They finished the week at exactly 50 percent overall.  They also finished at exactly 50 percent in each of the three zones.  Individually, Lars Eller was the only Capital with ten or more total draws taken to finish 50 percent or better in all three zones, while Nicklas Backstrom was the only Capital to top 50 percent in only one of the three zones for the week (66.7 percent in the defensive end).

Goals by Period:

Ugly starts make for ugly finishes, and that certainly was the case for the Caps in Week 13.  Outscored 5-0 in the first periods of games, three empty net goals in the third periods of games made for book ends to a week that resembled gargoyles.  The Caps did outscore opponents by a 6-4 margin in the third periods and overtime for the week, but only the two goals scored against Columbus – one in the third period, the other in overtime – were of consequence, the other four being cosmetic (two against Boston) or reflecting frustration (two against Carolina to try to cut into a lead they always fell just short of eliminating).  It left the Caps with an odd pattern at week’s end.  There is the ten-goal progression through the periods in goals scored – 35 in the first, 45 in the second, 55 in the third (the last being most in the league), but allowing 43 third period goals when they allowed only 35 in each of the first two periods is something that merits attention.

Year-over-Year:

The Caps slipped a bit in the year-to-year comparisons, but this year’s team still maintains a healthy edge over last year’s squad in most respects after 40 games.  If there is something odd about this comparison at this point it is the disconnect between outcome and the underlying numbers.  The Caps have realized a net 164 shot improvement (year to year differences in shots versus shots allowed) and a net 189 attempt improvement in shot attempts at 5-on-5, but the scoring, for and against, does not reflect the improvement, the Caps being only plus-2 at this point in goals scored over the same point last year and only a plus-2 in goals allowed, year-over-year.

In the end…

Over an 82-game season there will be ups and downs, ebbs and flows.  The Caps slipped a bit in the week just completed, but they remain a formidable team, both in the context of this year’s competition around the league and in comparison with themselves a year ago.  They have had to deal with injury and illness over the last week, but these are issues any team is going to have to face over the 82-game schedule.  That the Caps have completed almost half of their regular season schedule without losing consecutive games in regulation speaks to the strength, depth, and resilience of this team, virtues that will be tested as the team moves into the new year.

Three Stars:

• First Star: Ilya Samsonov (1-0-0, 1.19, .938)
• Second Star: Alex Ovechkin (2-1-3, 19 shots, 33 shot attempts, passed Teemu Selanne for third place all-time in career power play goals (256))
• Third Star: John Carlson (0-3-3, 26:43 average ice time, became first defenseman in 25 years to record 50 points in 40 or fewer games (Paul Coffey, 50 points in 40 games in 1994-1995))

Captain rates the week…

One pupper