The Peerless Prognosticator is ON THE AIR!!! -- Capitals vs. Islanders, The Game 2 Rematch

The Peerless Prognosticator is ON THE AIR!!!

With one game of the three-game set between the Washington Capitals and New York Islanders in the books, the Caps winning by a 1-0 margin in the Gimmick, we have a day off to take stock and see where we are for the moment…

• As we wake up on Friday morning, it is now the Pittsburgh Penguins on the Caps’ bumper in the NASCAR MassMutual East Division 56-game season.  The Caps hold a one-point lead on the Pens.  Both have played 47 games, and both have 30 wins, but the Caps have one more point earned in extra time losses, while the Pens have one more regulation loss.  The Caps currently hold the edge in the regulation win tie-breaker and are tied in regulation/overtime wins.  If the Pens were any closer, they’d be in the passenger seat of the Ted Leonis Racing/Peter Laviolette Driving Number 8 Car.
• Semyon Varlamov has now denied the Caps a goal in regulation/overtime in his last 145:58, dating back to the Islanders’ 8-4 win on April 6^th.  The shutouts in his last two appearances against the Caps are the first two blankings of the Caps he has in his career in 17 games against the team that drafted him.
• Even if Varlamov does not get the start on Saturday, the Caps will not necessarily be getting a break. Ilya Sorokin is 12-4-1 in his rookie season.  He has a better goals against average than Varlamov (2.02 to 2.12) and trails Varlamov only slightly in save percentage (.922 to .926).  He has three shutouts of his own in 17 starts, while Varlamov has five shutouts in 30 starts this season. 
• Neither goalie has allowed a shorthanded goal this season.  The Islanders are one of two teams yet to allow a shortie, the St. Louis Blues being the other.  In fact, in the Barry Trotz era, since he took over as head coach in 2018-2019, no team has allowed fewer shorthanded goals than New York (six, tied with the Vegas Golden Knights).
• The double shutout is the third time in the post-2005-2006 lockout era that the Caps and their opponent went to a Gimmick after 65 minutes of scoreless hockey.  The did so on December 27, 2017 in a loss to the New York Rangers, when they were beaten in the freestyle competition by the MZ boys – Mats Zuccarello and Mika Zibanejad (the game-winner).  The also lost to the Tampa Bay Lighting in what was the season finale of the 2013-2014 season, the only one in the last 13 that the Caps missed the playoffs.  Matt Carle got the only goal of the special session.
• The Caps did not add a regulation loss to the Isles’ sparkling home record this season 19-2-3, but they did pin one of the three extra time losses on the Isles at Nassau Coliseum.  Pittsburgh has the other Gimmick win on Islander ice.
• The Caps are getting better at generating power play chances on the Islanders’ ice sheet, but that’s a relative thing.  They had one opportunity with the man advantage in their first game in New York this season (and scored their only power play goal) on April 1^st, two in their next meeting on April 6^th, and three on Thursday night. 
• Lars Eller has had his struggles against the Islanders, scoring wise.  He has one goal in his last dozen appearances against New York with three assists. He has one goal in 12 games as a Capital at Nassau Coliseum.
• The whole top-six forward group has been largely shut down by the Islanders in New York this season.  It is only three games, but T.J. Oshie is the only regular top-six forward with a goal at Nassau Coliseum this season.  Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, Tom Wilson, Evgeny Kuznnetsov, and Jakub Vrana/Anthony Mantha…none in 15 man-games.
• Ilya Samsonov was superb in the 1-0 Gimmick win over the Isles on Thursday night.  Even with only three appearances against New York this season, it still looks like a roller coaster fun ride.  He opened the season with a 21 save effort in a 3-1 win over New York on March 16^th in Washington.  Samsonov followed that up by allowing six goals on 18 shots in 43:34 in the Caps’ 8-4 loss to the Isles in New York on April Fools’ Day.  And then there was Thursday night’s 26-save blanking, his third career shutout.  And that performance did allow Samsonov to drag his season save percentage against the Islanders over .900 (.903) and his overall save percentage over that threshold (from .898 to .904).
• Vitek Vanecek might still be the pick for the Saturday rematch in the second game of this three-game set.  He has as good or better a record of the two Caps goalies against the Islanders this season.  Both he and Samsonov are 2-1-0 against the Islanders this season.  And although both of Vanecek’s wins were at home, he turned in one of his best performances of the season in New York when he allowed one goal on 39 shots in a 1-0 loss on April 6^th.  His goals against average against New York is better than Samsonov’s (.929 to .903), as is his even strength save percentage (.931 to .910), and his goals against average is slightly better (2.47 to 2.50).  He does come into Saturday with only 39 saves on 48 shots (.813 save percentage) in consecutive losses to Buffalo and Boston in his last two appearances, his first bout with consecutive losses in regulation on his record since his first two games in February.

In the end…

The two losses the Caps suffered in New York at the hands of the Islanders before their win on Thursday were a bit of an anomaly.  They won five consecutive games on Long Island before suffering those consecutive losses, and they are 19-11-3 overall in the Ovechkin era in New York.  Look for win number 20 on Saturday.

 

 

A TWO-Point Night: Washington Capitals -- Game 47: Capitals 1 - Islanders 0 (OT/Gimmick)

For the Washington Capitals and New York Islanders, the playoffs start early.  Tied at the top of the East Division standings in points – the Caps holding the top spot by a tie-breaker (24 to 21 regulation wins) – the two teams started a three-game set against one another on Thursday night at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum.  The teams could not settle things in regulation or the five-minute overtime, so it was left to the Gimmick, and Evgeny Kuznetsov made sure the Caps could “fly” off with with a "bird" celebration and the 1-0 win with a game-winning Gimmick goal.

First Period

The Islanders thoroughly dominated shot generation early, but the Caps got a chance with a power play 12:16 into the period when Scott Mayfield was cited for tripping.  The Caps failed to score on their only shot on goal (Alex Ovechkin), and neither team could score at even strength through 20 minutes.  Caps and Isles, scoreless.

-- Washington was outshot, 15-4, in the period and out-attempted by the home team, 21-14.

-- Four Caps had two shot attempts – Ovechkin, Anthony Mantha, Brenden Dillon, and John Carlson

-- Three Caps had two credited hits – Ovechkin, Lars Eller, and Nic Dowd

-- Ovechkin had only 3:35 in even strength ice time in the period. Nine forwards had more, and Evgeny Kuznetsov had the same amount.  Only Tom Wilson had less (3:33).

Second Period

 

The teams started the second period as they ended the first, unable to find the back of the net.  And the Caps once more had a chance to remedy that situation with a power play when Mathew Barzal was sent off for high-sticking at the 13:29 mark.  Once more, Ovechkin got the only power play shot on goal, and once more, it failed to get across the goal line, and the teams continued in their search for the game’s first goal.

Washington got its third man advantage of the game late in the period when Noah Dobson pitched the puck over the glass for a delay of game penalty at 17:29.  This time, the Caps failed to get a shot on goal in the two-minute advantage, and the teams skated off after 40 minutes still in a scoreless tie.

-- The Caps outshot the Isles, 14-7, in the period, and out attempted them, 30-9.

-- Ovechkin and Sheary led the Caps in shots on goal through 40 minutes with four apiece.

-- Lars Eller won nine of 12 faceoffs through two periods, best winning percentage for either team for players with more than one draw taken.

-- Ovechkin finished the period with 6:00 in power play ice time, 7:56 in even strength ice time.

Third Period

There was no scoring in the first nine minutes of the period, and then the Islanders got their first power play of the game when Lars Eller went off for tripping.  The Isles did not convert, but they got a second chance with a man advantage when Alex Ovechkin was sent to the box for tripping at 11:49.  They failed on that one, too, and both teams failed to get a goal, sending this contest to…

Overtime

The Islanders seemed to have the puck for eight minutes of a five-minute overtime, but they failed to score.  So did the Caps, which means….IT’S GIMMICK TIME!!!

Shootout

NYI - Eberle… save

WSH – Oshie… save

NYI – Beauvillier… goal

WSH – Backstrom… GOAL

NYI – Nelson… miss

WSH – Kuznetsov… GAME WINNING GOAL!!! …cue the “bird” celebration.

Other stuff…

-- Evgeny Kuznetsov’s game-winning Gimmick goal was the 19^th freestyle goal of his career (third-most in team history) and sixth game-winner (tied with Alexander Semin for third in franchise history).

-- Ilya Samsonov’s shutout was the third of his career, tying Jose Theodore for 14^th place in team history.

-- Alex Ovechkin skated only 11:18 at even strength.  Only Carl Hagelin skated fewer minutes among the 18 skaters (10:59).  He did not skate the last 7:49 of the game (third period and overtime) and did not take a turn in the Gimmick.

-- This was the first time the Caps played to a 65-minute scoreless tie since December 27, 2017, when they ended overtime scoreless against the New York Rangers.  They lost that game in the Gimmick.  It is the first time in team history they won a game after going 65 minutes with scoreless hockey.  His last shift was 23 seconds, fueling some speculation he might have suffered an injury.

-- This looks like the first time in Caps history that they won a game after 65 minutes of scoreless tie hockey.

-- The Caps finished the regulation and overtime outshooting the Islanders, 28-26, 23-10 over the last 40 minutes.  Washington out-attempted the Isles for the game, 63-39.

-- Of the 63 shot attempts, 34 of them were not on goal (17 blocked, 17 misses).

-- Conor Sheary led the team with five shots on goal; Alex Ovechkin and John Carlson led the team with seven shot attempts apiece.

-- Garnet Hathaway led the team with five credited hits.

-- Anthony Mantha had his goal streak with the Caps stopped at four games.  He finished this game without a shot on goal.

In the end…

Yes, it did have a playoff feel to it.  Then again, there was a regular season sameness in one respect.  The Caps started the game slowly after a layoff, playing a comparatively lethargic game for the first 20 minutes, before ramping up the effort in the last 40 minutes.  These two teams are definitely in lockdown mode, with one goal in regulation and overtime (that by the Islanders) in 125 minutes of hockey over their last two matchups.  Now they get to do it two more times.  It’s going to be brutal.

The Peerless Prognosticator is ON THE AIR!!! -- Games 47-49: Capitals vs. Islanders, April 22/24/27

The Peerless Prognosticator is ON THE AIR!!!

The Washington Capitals are down to their last ten games of the regular season.  They head to the finish tied with the New York Islanders in standings points atop the East Division and are one point clear of the Pittsburgh Penguins.  The Caps begin this last ten-game stretch with what amounts to a pre-playoff series, a three-game set against the New York Islanders that starts with a pair of games on Long Island on Thursday and Saturday before wrapping up at Capital One Arena in Washington on Tuesday.

The Caps enter the series on a crazy run of late.  They are 3-2-0 in their last five games, and in all of them the winning team scored five or more goals.  On the other side, the Isles are 3-3-0 in their last six games. Going into their game against the New York Rangers on Tuesday night, the Islanders were having trouble scoring, posting a total of 13 goals in eight games and not scoring more than three in any of those contests.  In fact, the only time the Islanders scored more than three goals in regulation in a 13-game stretch was when they plastered the Caps, 8-4, on April 1^st.  New York broke out of that scoring slump with a 6-1 win over the Rangers on Tuesday.

The April scoring slump (the Isles rank 24^th in scoring offense this month) has not come at the expense of balance.  Eleven Islanders share in the 25 goals scored this month, led by Jordan Eberle and Brock Nelson with four apiece.  In a quiet, understated way Eberle is merely extending what for him has been a consistent scoring touch over time.  With a goal against the Rangers on Tuesday, he reached the 15-goal mark for the 11th time in 11 seasons.  He is also averaging 0.33 goals per game, which is his best per-game production since he averaged 0.36 goals per game with Edmonton in 2015-2016.  He has done his best to add to the Islanders offense in April, posting a point-per game over ten games played this month (4-6-10, plus-5).  Although the Islanders are not a team that scores in bunches, especially lately, either as a team or individually, only Mathew Barzal has more multi-point games this season for the Isles this season (eight) than Ebele (seven).  But like many offense-oriented players, more ice time is not necessarily an indicator of success, those players often getting more ice time when their team trails in games.  The Islanders are just 4-7-3 in the 14 games in which Eberle skated more than 18 minutes.  On the other hand, the Islanders are 25-6-1 in 32 games in which he skated less than 18 minutes.  Eberle is 2-2-4, plus-5, in five games against Washington this season and 5-7-12, minus-6, in 26 career games against the Caps.

Brock Nelson hails from Warroad, Minnesota, one of the more prolific producers of hockey talent in NHL history, from the Christian family (Bill, Gordon, Roger, and former Cap Dave) to current Capital T.J. Oshie, who spent a portion of his formative hockey development years in Warroad.  It was largely a product of his goal scoring (84 goals over 56 games in two years with the Warroad Warriors) that convinced the Islanders to draft Nelson 30^th overall in the 2010 Entry Draft.  Since joining the big club in 2013-2014, he has been a reliable 20-plus goal scorer for the Isles, topping the 20-goal mark in five of seven seasons prior to this one, and with 16 goals in 46 games this season, he could add a sixth 20-goal season, even with the abbreviated 56-game schedule.  In addition to the offense he provides, Nelson is durable.  He has missed just two games in his last seven seasons, including this one, and has not missed a game since the 2016-2017 season.  His consistency has allowed Nelson to quietly climb the all-time lists in Islanders history.  His 166 goals rank 15^th all-time, and with two more he would tie Zigmund Palffy for 14^th place in team history.  His 321 career points ranks 21^st in team history, and he could tie Palffy for 20^th place (331) by year end if he records another ten points.  Nelson is tied for 13^th in game-winning goals in Islanders history (with John Tonelli) and has six overtime goals with the Isles, tied for second place with Josh Bailey and Kyle Okposo behind John Tavares (11) in team history.  Nelson is 2-1-3, even, in five games against the Caps this season and 10-9-19, minus-3, in 33 career games against Washington.

Noah Dobson has had a difficult April, perhaps the aftermath of his losing five games in late March to COVID protocol.  Coming into this month, Dobson led the Islanders' defensemen in goals (three), was tied for second among Islander defensemen in points (12), and he did it while averaging just 16:58 in ice time, sixth among the team’s defensemen.  Since April 1^st, though, Dobson is 0-1-1, minus-2, has seen his ice time drop to 14:17 a game, has been on ice for fewer even strength goals scored than any Islander defenseman appearing in more than one game (four), has the second worst even strength on-ice goal differential (minus-2), and was benched for a game.  Ice time has become an issue for Dobson.  In his first dozen games he averaged 17:45 per game, 16:24 in his next dozen, and 14:55 in his last 13 games heading into the series with the Caps.  It is all part of the learning curve for the second-year defenseman, even one taken 12^th overall (the fifth defenseman taken) in the 2018 Entry Draft.  Dobson is 1-1-2, plus-1, in four games against the Caps this season and 1-1-2, plus-1, in six career games against Washington.

1.  Before the Islanders beat the New York Rangers, 6-1, on Tuesday night, six of their previous eight wins were in extra time (four in overtime, two in the Gimmick).  The only two regulation wins in that stretch were against the Caps.

2.  The Islanders have seven wins in April, five of them by one goal. They are one of five teams in the league with an unblemished record in one-goal games this month (5-0-0).

3. The other five decisions in April for the Isles came in three-or-more goal games, where they are 2-3-0.

4.  New York lost their first four games decided in extra time this season.  They have won their last eight decisions settled in extra time.

5.  The Islanders are 6-0-0 when scoring first in April, one of four teams with a perfect record when scoring first this month.

1.  Sixteen different Caps have scored goals this month, including the departed Jakub Vrana.  Seveteen different skaters have points for the Caps.  Garnet Hathaway is the only Capital to have recorded points (two assists) without the benefit of a goal.

2.  Plus-minus isn’t a statistic one dwells on these days, but being worst in any category stings.  And in April, Zdeno Chara and Alex Ovechkin bring up the rear in this stat for the Caps, both a minus-6.

3.  The Caps have 15 first period goals in April, most in the league.  They have 18 second period goals, most in the league.  They have eight third period goals, tied for 12^th fewest in the league.

4.  Washington’s power play is humming along at 35.9 percent in April, second-best in the league (Minnesota: 44.1 percent).

5.  The Caps’ penalty kill has been almost as good for the month.  The 90.6 percent PK ranks fourth in the league for April.

The Peerless’ Players to Ponder

New York: Matt Martin

Mathew Barzal gets the attention for his top-notch skill with the puck.  Brock Nelson and Anders Lee are the lunch pail foot soldiers who chip in offense on a regular basis.  Oliver Wahlstrom, Noah Dobson, and Anthony Beauvillier seem to be the next wave of contributors.  And that leaves Matt Martin as the rugged greybeard veteran.  Martin is the active leader on the Islanders in games played for the franchise (606) and ranks 14^th in franchise history in games played.  He is also, by far, the active leader on the club in penalty minutes recorded for the Isles (804), almost 500 more than Anders Lee (315).  He is something of a complex character.  Twelve of his 59 goals have been game-winners, , while he is a minus-2 game from cracking the bottom 20 in career plus-minus rating in club history (he is minus-40; John Tavares and Brian Lavender are minus-42).  His 2.692 credited hits are more than 800 more than Cal Clutterbuck (1,832) in team history.  He has more takeaways (159) than giveaways (146) in his career with the Islanders.

Martin has toned the hitting and the coloring outside the lines down in recent years.  In his first tour with the Islanders – seven seasons covering the 2009-2010 through 2015-2016 period, he amassed 680 penalty minutes and was credited with 2,023 hits in 438 games.  After spending two seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs and returning to the Isles in 2018-2019, he has “only” 124 penalty minutes and 664 hits in 168 games over three seasons.  Offense has never been a bit part of his game, but this year he has been prone to long unproductive streaks – nine games without a point to open the season and three other streaks of six or more games without a point out of a total of 46 games played.  The latest of those streaks is an eight-game streak without a point that he takes into this series with the Caps.  Martin is without a point in five games against Washington with a minus-1 rating this season and is 3-2-5, minus-3, in 39 career games against the Caps.

Washington: Conor Sheary

Some players have well-defined roles, responsibilities, and linemates that allow them to flourish, even in what some might view a lesser roles.  The Islanders, for example, have been said to have the best fourth line of forwards in the NHL in Casey Cizikas, Cal Clutterbuck, and Matt Martin.   Others consider it among the worst, but the point is that it is a fixture in the Islander scheme. 

Then there are players like Conor Sheary, nomads in the night-to-night lineup who might find themselves skating on the fourth line one night and skating on a scoring line the next.  It is not just the versatility of Sheary that makes him a valuable commodity to the Caps this season, but his ability to produce in the context of that versatility that makes him one of the genuine pleasant surprises for the Caps this season.  It impressed the Caps enough to more than double his pay.  After signing a one-year/$735,000 deal December 2020 as an unrestricted free agent after spending last season in Buffalo and Pittsburgh, the Caps re-signed him to a two-year/$3.0 million deal on April 14^th.

Sheary has spent his career as an under-the-radar, underrated offensive player.  He posted 23 goals in 61 games in his sophomore season with the Penguins in 2016-2017 and has ten or more goals and 20 or more points in each of his five full seasons in the league.  His 0.28 goals per game this season is second-best in his career, topped only by the 0.38 goals per game he had in that 2016-2017 season. His 0.47 points per game is his best since that same season in Pittsburgh (0.87).  The only thing he does not have yet this season is a game-winning goal among the 12 in 43 games he scored for the Caps.  Sheary has been something of a good-luck charm this season.  Despite not having a game-winning goal of his own, the Caps are 9-0-1 in games in which he scored a goal and 12-1-1 when he recorded a point.  His physical engagement, despite being one of the smaller players in the league (5’9”/179 pounds) is also an indicator of success, the Caps with an 11-2-0 record when he was credited with at least one hit.  Watch his ice time, too.  Washington is 24-6-1 in 31 games in which he logged more than 11 minutes of ice time.  Sheary is 2-1-3, minus-1, in five games against New York this season, 4-2-6, minus-5, in 21 career games against the Islanders.

In the end…

There is no mincing words here.  This three-game set will have the look of a playoff series.  The stakes are as high as a non-playoff series gets, with the two teams battling for the top spot in the division and each looking to send a message as potential playoff opponents down the road.  These teams could find themselves playing each other ten times (this set and a seven-game playoff series, should they meet in the first round) in the next month.  The Caps won the first three games of the season series – a one goal, a two goal, and a three goal win.  The Islanders won the last two meetings in as different a manner one might imagine – an 8-4 win and a 1-0 win five days apart earlier this month.  These are two teams that have played one another close in the regular season, the Caps holding a 7-6-0 record and a 37-36 edge I goals scored over that span.  Expect these games to be as close, but with the Caps holding first place in the division a bit tighter when the three-game set is completed.

Capitals 2 – Islanders 1

Capitals 3 – Islanders 2

Capitals 3 – Islanders 2

A NO-Point Afternoon: Washington Capitals -- Game 46: Bruins 6 - Capitals 3

The Washington Capitals wrapped up their weekend slate of back-to-back games with a visit to TD Garden to take on the Boston Bruins in a matinee contest.  The Caps were coming off a 6-3 win in Philadelphia against the Flyers on Saturday afternoon, while the Bruins had a day of rest after sweeping the New York Islanders in back-to-back games on Thursday and Friday.  The Bruins were the better team, beginning to end, and exacted a measure of revenge for the 8-1 beating they took in the last meeting between these teams with a 6-3 win.

First Period

Boston got an early power play when Dmitry Orlov went to the box for hooking 35 seconds into the period.  Boston did not convert on either of their two shots.  Washington got a chance later in the period when Connor Clifton was sent off on a double-minor for high-sticking at the 8:53 mark.  It would be the Bruins who took advantage, though, when Brad Marchand hounded John Carlson trying to retrieve the puck behind his own net.  Separating Carlson from the puck, the biscuit found its way to Patrice Bergeron all alone in front.  Cutting across the low slot, he lifted a shot past goalie Vitek Vanecek’s right pad, and it was 1-0, Bruins, 12:02 into the period.

Boston doubled their lead in the 14^th minute when Clifton slid a pass from the goal line to Vanecek’s left through the crease to David Krejci for a tap in from the far post at the 13:56 mark.

Washington got on the board in the last ten seconds when T. J. Oshie and Nicklas Backstrom abused the Boston defense.  Oshie started it by foiling a weak poke check try at the Caps’ blue line by Mike Reilly and getting the puck to Nicklas Backstrom skating through the middle in the neutral zone. Backstrom undressed Charlie McAvoy just inside the Boston blue line, cutting inside the defenseman to get a clear line to the net.  His shot was foiled by goalie Tuukka Rask, who got a glove on the shot, but he could not squeeze it tight enough to keep it from popping out where Oshie got inside position on Reilly to chip it over Rask with jut 9.9 seconds into the period, the Bruins heading to the intermission with a 2-1 lead.

-- Washington outshot Boston, 14-10, and out-attempted the Bruins, 21-15.

-- Twelve Caps were credited with hits in the period, led by Nic Dowd with three.

-- The Caps were dominated by the Bruins in the faceoff circle, losing 13 of 18 draws (27.8 percent wins).

Second Period

The teams went 4-on-4 early in the period when Garnet Hathaway and Curtis Lazar started the period in the penalty box for coincidental roughing calls that ended the first period.  The Caps got their second four-minute power play of the game, courtesy once more by Clifton, When he high-sticked Conor Sheary at the 2:53 mark.

Oshie made the chance count.  Running the triangle play, Nicklas Backstrom skated through the right wing circle to get a passing lane to Evgeny Kuznetsov at the goal line.  Kuznetsov one-timed Backstrom’s pass to Oshie, who one-timed the pass up and over Rask’s left shoulder at the 3:48 mark to tie the game.

The tie lasted less than a minute, the Caps converting the back half of the double minor to Boston when Dmitry Orlov fed Anthony Mantha at the top of the right wing circle.  Mantha took one step up and wristed a shot past Rask at the 4:54 mark.

The Caps’ lead lasted less than two minutes, the Bruins benefitting from confusion in front.  David Pastrnak looked as if he was going to get a shot off from the low slot, and Vanacek looked to think the same way, preparing to defend a shot that never came.  It was Marchand who ended up with the puck, and he curled to his right and deposited it in the open side of the cage to make it 3-3 6:33 into the period.

Boston scored late in the period.  Shortly after a penalty to Garnet Hathaway for holding expired, Craig Smith held the puck at the left wing wall before spying an open David Krejci on the right side.  Taking Smith’s pass, he held the puck until a sliding Dmitry Orlov cleared the ice in front of him, then fired a shot past Vanecek on the short side to make it 4-3, Bruins, at the 16:02 mark.

Patrice Bergeron put the Bruins up, 5-3, when he came in late as the third man trailing a 2-on-2 rush, getting a pass from Pastrnak and fought off a late backcheck from Kuznetsov to beat Vanecek past his blocker at the 17:45 mark.

Washington got a late power play when Mike Reilly was penalized for hooking at 19:47, but the Caps did not convert, leaving 1:47 oof power play time carrying over into the final period.

-- The Caps outshot the Bruins, 11-10 in the period, and out-attempted them  17-13.

-- Trevor van Riemsdyk was the only Capital with more than one blocked shot through 40 minutes (two).

-- John Carlson led the Caps in ice time through two periods (18:03).

Third Period

The Caps did not convert on the carryover power play, and Boston maintained its two-goal lead.  They got another chance with the man advantage when Jarred Tinordi was called for roughing at the 5:52 mark, but the Caps failed to convert this opportunity as well.

Tinordi was on the other end of a penalty when he was sent flying into the boards by Garnet Hathaway, leaving him bleeding from the nose and mouth.  There was no penalty called in real time, but after video review Hathaway was relieved of any further participation, earning a major penalty for boarding and a game misconduct at the 9:21 mark.  Boston did not score, but the damage might have been done with five minutes taken off the clock that the Caps might have used to get back into the game.

Boston put the Caps out of their misery when David Pastrnak dove and poked the puck out of the Bruin’s zone, and Brad Marchand picked it up and skated to the Caps’ empty net.  He looked for Patrice Bergeron to get him the hat trick, but Bergeron was covered, and Marchand finished the play into the empty net at 18:16, giving the Bruins a 6-3 lead and ending the scoring for the afternoon.

Other stuff…

-- This was the fourth time in seven games in this series in which the winning team scored five or more goals, the teams splitting the four decisions.

-- This was only the second time since October 2002 that the Caps allowed six or more goals to the Bruins (they allowed seven in a loss to the Bruins on December 23, 2019).

-- The Caps outshot the Bruins, 33-28, and out-attempted them, 54-45.

-- Alex Ovechkin led the team with five shots on goal and nine and shot attempts.

-- Garnet Hathaway, Justin Schultz (who played only 2:45 on four shifts before leaving with an injury), and Trevor van Riemsdyk did not record a shot attempt. 

-- John Carlson was minus-5, and Ovechkin and Evgeny Kuznetsov were minus-4 for the game.

-- T.J. Oshie recorded his 25^th multi-goal game as a Capital and 32^nd of his career.

-- Vitek Vanecek allowed five goals, matching a season high (January 19^th against Pittsburgh) and the most he allowed in regulation time this season.

-- Van Riemsdyk and Nick Jensen led the team with three blocked shots apiece.

-- Nicklas Backstrom had a pair of assists, his 257^th career multi-point game.

In the end…

What goes ‘round, comes ‘round.  The Caps played a better version of the Bruins than what they faced in their 8-1 win in the last meeting between these teams.  And the Caps did not help themselves with the lapses in discipline, both inside the rules (their defense) and outside them.  They get a few days off before starting a critical three-game set against the New York Islanders.  They’ll need them.

 

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

Week 14 for the Washington Capitals was one of those weeks where one looks at a 3-1-0 record and thinks, “not bad.”  But the next thought might be, “they are going to regret that loss.”  Perhaps it is the perpetual pessimism that comes with being a Caps fan, but in the midst of a fine week, there was that loss that should not have been.

 

Record: 3-1-0

You would think by now that the edges would start fraying for the Caps.  Week 14 was their third straight four-game week and fifth in the last six.  In eight four-game weeks this season, the Caps had winning weeks five times and break-even weeks three times.  Week 14 was the fifth winning four-game week of the year, and while a 3-1-0 week is something to cheer about, it is that loss that sticks in one’s mind.  The Buffalo Sabres are in the midst of a forgettable season, traded off valuable assets for futures, and were visiting a Caps team that went into the game 8-2-0 in their previous ten home games, outscoring opponents, 39-28.  The Caps lost, and it was not close, a 5-2 loss that was Buffalo’s first win on the road by three goals in almost two months.

Other than that, it was a very good week for the Caps, who beat their other three opponents by a combined 20-5 margin.  Granted, the Caps caught the Boston Bruins in a weakened state on defense and in goal due to injuries, and the Philadelphia Flyers have been fading for weeks, but both still have playoff hopes in mind and have something to play for.  

Offense: 5.50/game (season: 3.51 / 2nd)

It would be hard to have a week as good as Week 14 was on offense for the Caps.  Twenty two goals scored in four games, 11 different players with goals, 17 with points.  John Carlson had a big week, posting seven assists to take over the league lead in points among defensemen (42).  He has been on better than a point per game pace since early March, going 5-18-23, plus-7, in 22 games.  It might not be coincidence that the Caps are 16-6-0 over those 22 games. 

The team leader in goals for the week was a surprise.  Conor Sheary had four goals in the four games, but he had support with six other Caps having multi-goal weeks.  One of those other Caps with a multi-goal week was newcomer Anthony Mantha, who posted a goal in each of his first three games with the Caps and extended his personal goal streak to a career-high four games (he scored one in his last game with Detroit).

Alex Ovechkin was the other Capitals with a three-goal week, all of them on power plays.  The three goals for Ovechkin brought him to 730 career goals, one short of Marcel Dionne for fifth place on the NHL’s all-time goal scoring list.

Only Dmitry Orlov among defensemen recorded a goal (he had two), but the defense was contributing.  Four of the six defensemen to dress in Week 14 combined for 14 points in the four games.  For Orlov it was continuation of a productive run of late in which he has gone 4-6-10, plus-12, in his last 14 games.

Defense: 2.50/game (season: 2.96 / 19th)

Take out the Buffalo game, and it was a very good week for the Caps.  The Caps did allow the Sabres 25 shots in the first two periods of that game, a rather high volume for a team that has not generated a high volume of shots this season (27.8 per game/28^th in the league).  But the Caps did limit the Sabres to 41 shot attempts at 5-on-5, in the middle of the pack of games with most shot attempts against by game for the season.  The Caps averaged 30 shots allowed against in the other three games, a bit above their season average (29.4 at week’s end).  The shot attempts at 5-on-5 were a bit odd.  In the first two games of the week, wins over Boston and Philadelphia, the Caps allowed 47 and 48 shot attempts at fives, respectively.  But then there was the win on Saturday in Philadelphia.  The Caps smothered the Flyers’ offense, allowing 24 shot attempts at 5-on-5, the lowest volume of shot attempts at fives in any game this season for Washington (they allowed 30 against the Rangers and 30 against the Bruins in games in March).

Goaltending: 2.28 / .924  (season: 2.74 / .906 / 2 shutouts)

As in other categories, it was a mostly very good week for the goaltenders.  In fact, but for one bad period, it would have been an excellent week.  But there was that period, the second period against the Buffalo Sabres in which Vitek Vanecek allowed three goals on nine shots and was relieved by Craig Anderson.  Take that period away, and the Caps goalies would have had a .945 save percentage for the week.  Even taking away Anderson’s contribution for the week (eight saves in as many shots faced), the Caps would have had a .941 save percentage.

Vanecek’s second period adventure against Buffalo was a dark spot on an otherwise bright week.  In his other four periods of play he stopped 45 of 47 shots (.957 save percentage).  But that second period against the Sabres in the midst of an otherwise good week highlights the hint of inconsistency in his game.  In 30 appearances this season he has seven in which his save percentage topped .950, and in six games it was under .850.  Only five goalies this season have more games with save percentages under .850 than Vanecek.

Ilya Samsonov had his own consistency issues in two appearances.  He stopped 29 of 30 shots in the Caps’ 6-1 win over the Flyers in the second game of the week.  But he took a few shots off his helmet in that one, and he was shelved for the next game against Boston.  He returned on Saturday in the Caps’ 6-3 win over Philadelphia, but the experience a few nights earlier might have affected his performance.  He stopped 22 of 25 shots (.880 save percentage) in the win.

Craig Anderson got some work in as well, relieving Vanecek in the 5-2 loss to Buffalo and stopping all eight shots he faced.  It was only his third appearance of the season and first since February 21^st, a 4-3 win over New Jersey that is his only win of the season.

Power Play: 8-for-17 / 47.1 percent (season: 27.3 percent / 2nd)

The Caps did not finish over 50 percent for the week on the power play. That is about the worst you can say about the power play in Week 14.  The eight power play goals exceeded the total for the Caps over the previous four weeks (7-for-37), and the 17 chances is a high for any single week this season.  The 4.25 chances per game were second in the league for the week (Edmonton: 6.00).

Five different Caps shared in the power play goal scoring, led by Alex Ovechkin with three and Tom Wilson with a pair.  Conor Sheary, Nicklas Backstrom, and T.J. Oshie had the others.  Ten different skaters recorded power play points, led by Ovechkin (five) and Wilson (four).  Three Caps had three power play points for the week (Sheary, John Carlson, and Evgeny Kuznetsov).

The power play was both effective (the eight goals in 17 chances) and efficient.  Washington recorded 31 power play shots in 27:44 of power play ice time.  Ten different Caps recorded at least one power play shot on goal, led by Ovechkin (10), Oshie (five), and Backstrom (five).  Ovechkin’s three power play goals brought him to within five power play goals of the all-time leader, Dave Andreychuk (274).

Penalty Killing: 10-for-12 / 83.3 percent (season: 83.1 percent / 7th)

It was a decent week for the Caps on the penalty kill, but it also was the third consecutive week they had ten or more shorthanded situations.  While that is something to watch, their 3.00 situations faced per game ranked tied for 17^th-fewest in the league.  Not good, not bad.  What helped was that the two power play goals allowed occurred in games in which the Caps had leads – 6-0 against the Bruins when they recorded one in an 8-1 Caps win, and the other against Philadelphia when the Caps had a 4-2 lead in the second meeting of the teams this week.

The Caps were stingy in allowing power play shots in the first three games, giving up eight shots in 14:59 of shorthanded ice time.  Against the Flyers to close the week, though, Washington allowed 12 power play shots in just 7:48 of shorthanded ice time.

Faceoffs: 122-for-241 / 50.6 percent (season: 48.8 percent / 22nd)

It was a good week overall in the circle, but uneven in the details.  There was a distinct difference between success in the defensive end (56.9 percent) and lack of it in the offensive end (44.6 percent).  Lars Eller (59.1 percent) and Nicklas Backstrom (54.5 percent) were the only Caps among the seven taking any offensive zone faceoffs to finish over 50 percent.  At the other end, in an odd turn of events, Nic Dowd was the only one of eight Caps taking defensive zone draws to finish under 50 percent (48.5 percent).  Backstrom led all Caps in overall winning percentage (65.7 percent; minimum: five faceoffs).

Goals by Period:

Getting out to leads has not been a big problem for the Caps, it is holding them.  This week was an exception.  They overwhelmed teams in the first periods of games, outscoring opponents in the four games, 9-3, in the first period.  They maintained that edge in the second periods of games (8-4) and even the third period (5-3), which has been a bit of a problem this season.  The Caps finished the week with the most first period goals scored in the league (47) and most goals in the second periods of games (66). The Caps still have work to do late in games, their 54 goals allowed tied for fourth-most in the league at week’s end.

Year-over-Year:

On a win-loss and scoring basis, this year’s Caps and last year’s through 45 games are almost indistinguishable, last year’s club having a slight edge in those categories.  This year’s club continues to trail last year’s significantly in shots on goal and shot attempts at 5-on-5.  This year’s club is significantly better in power play efficiency, but they are doing it with fewer chances.  Still, this year’s club does have an advantage in power play goals scored.

In the end…

It was a very good week, but one still cannot help but think the Caps left two points on the table against a weak team that could haunt them down the road in the ultra-competitive East Division.  But the Caps remain at the top of the division after 14 weeks, only now it is the Pittsburgh Penguins on their heels, three points back in second place.  It would be nice to have that bigger margin a win over Buffalo would have provided, what with the Caps now facing a difficult schedule over their last 11 games.  But any lead is a good lead, and the Caps have it.

Three Stars:

• First Star: John Carlson (0-7-7, plus-6, three power play points, first career four-assist game, 22:21 average ice time, five takeaways and only two giveaways)
• Second Star: Alex Ovechkin (3-3-6, plus-2, three power play goals, 24 shots on goal, 43 shot attempts)
• Third Star: Conor Sheary (4-2-6, minus-2, three power play points, one of two Caps with no giveaways for the week (Garnet Hathaway was the other)

 

A TWO-Point Afternoon: Washington Capitals -- Game 45: Capitals 6 - Flyers 3

The Washington Capitals headed up I-95 for a matinee matchup against the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday afternoon in the last game the Caps will play in the regular season in South Philly this season.  The Caps came into this game with a five-game winning streak against the Flyers after dropping their opening meeting of the season.  On the other side, the Flyers have fallen on hard times, going 9-13-3 in their last 25 games.  The hard times continued for the Flyers as the Caps won going away, 6-3.

 

First Period

The Captain got the Caps off and running early.  With Justin Braun in the penalty box for tripping at 2:42, Alex Ovechkin converted for Caps.  The Caps worked the puck around the perimeter, Nicklas Backstrom from the goal line to Evgeny Kuznetsov on the right wing wall, to John Carlson at the top of the offensive zone, and final a pass to Ovechkin for a one-timer from The Office that beat goalie Alex Lyon on the short side to make it 1-0, 3:58 into the period.

Washington got another power play when Sam Morin went off for unsportsmanlike conduct at 8:11 of the period.  The Caps did not convert and went short a man when Nick Jensen skated to the penalty box for a holding penalty at 11:35 of the period.  The Flyers did not convert, and the Caps held on to their one-goal lead.

They would not hold on to that lead going into the first intermission.  Ivan Provorov took a feed from Claude Giroux and from long range fired a one-timer past two Capitals skating across goalie Ilya Samsonov’s line of vision and past Samsonov’s glove with 1.0 seconds left in the period.

-- Philadelphia was held to two even strength shots in the period, scoring on the latter (three power play shots, one shorthanded). Ivan Provorov had both even strength shots.

-- The Caps outshot the Flyers, 11-6, and out-attempted them, 22-15.

-- Nicklas Backstrom led the team with three shots on goal in the period.

-- Nic Dowd led the Caps with three credited hits in the first 20 minutes.

Second Period

The Caps scored even earlier to start this period than they did in the first period.  Dmitry Orlov scored just 33 seconds into the period when he took a puck rebounding off the left wing wall and one-timed it past Lyon’s blocker on the short side to give the Caps their second lead of the game.

The Flyers tied it up when Conor Sheary and Lars Eller collided, leaving a loose puck for Nicolas Aube-Kubel to gather up and feed James van Riemsdyk on a breakaway.  Van Riemsdyk beat Samsonov through the five-hole at the 5:28 mark.

Washington went to the power play for the third time when Aube-Kubel was send off for hooking at 6:11.  The power play lasted four seconds.  T.J. Oshie tied up Sen Couturier on a faceoff to Lyon’s left, Evgeny Kuznetsov swooped in to kick the puck back to John Carlson at the right point.  Carlson fed the puck across to Ovechkin in The Office for a one-timer that beat Lyon on the short side at 6:15 of the period to make it 3-2, Caps.

Kuznetsov got a goal of his own late in the period. From the left point he fed the puck deep to Tom Wilson in the corner.  With Braun hanging on Wilson along the left wing wall, Wilson sent a lovely backhand pass to Kuznetsov strolling unmarked down the slot.  Kuznetsov had his choice of places to shoot at and dialed up “over Lyon’s right pad” to beat the Flyer goalie at the 15:02 mark to make it a 4-2 game.

-- Through two periods, the Caps outshot the Flyers at even strength, 26-10.

-- Washington outshot the Flyers, 19-10, in the second period and out-attempted them, 27-17.

-- Every Capital had at least one shot attempt through 40 minutes except T.J. Oshie.

Third Period

The Caps went short a man early, T.J. Oshie picking up an interference penalty at 1:09 of the period.  The Flyers did not convert, but they got another chance when Conor Sheary went off for tripping at 5:14 of the period.

Wade Allison converted for the Flyers for his first NHL goal, finishing off a well-executed passing sequence back and forth across the offensive zone for a lay-up into what became an empty net, making it a 4-3 game at the 7:02 mark.

Conor Sheary restored the Caps’ two-goal lead in the tenth minute of the period.  Off another faceoff win in the offensive end, the puck came back to Justin Schultz at the right point.  Walking the puck along the blue line to find a shooting lane, Schultz fired, his shot redirected by the heel of Sheary’s stick past Lyon at the 9:15 mark to make it 5-3, Caps.

Just over a minute later, the Caps went to the power play, Travis Konecny going to the box for goaltender interference at 10:42.  The Caps did not convert and skated on holding on to their two goal lead.  The Caps went right back to the power play, though, Kevin Hayes going off for slashing at 14:36 of the period.  The Caps tried to get Ovechkin the hat trick, and he was on the ice for the entire two-minute power play, but the Caps did not convert.

Anthony Mantha closed the scoring for the Caps, potting an empty net goal with 1:12 remaining to seal the 6-3 win.

Other stuff…

-- Alex Ovechkin’s first period goal against Alex Lyon made Lyon the 147^th goalie against whom Ovechkin has scored a goal in his career.

-- When he scored on a power play in the second period for his second goal of the game, it was Ovechkin’s 149^th career multi-goal game, fourth all-time behind Wayne Gretzky (189), Brett Hull (158), and Mario Lemieux (154).

-- John Carlson had four assists, a single game career high.  He is the fifth defenseman in Caps’ history with at least one four-assist game.  Scott Stevens (three times), Robert Picard (twice), Larry Murphy, and Bob Rouse are the others.

-- Anthony Mantha scored his third goal in three games as a Capital.  It extended his personal goal streak to four games (he scored in his last game with Detroit), a career high.

-- When Conor Sheary scored in the third period, it marked the fourth straight game against the Flyers that the Caps scored five or more goals.

-- The Caps outshot the Flyers, 41-25, and out-attempted them for the game, 68-48.

-- Every Capital recorded a shot on goal except Justin Schultz and T.J. Oshie.  Oshie was the only Capital without a shot attempt for the game.  Alex Ovechkin and Daniel Sprong led the team with five shots apiece; Ovechkin led the team with 12 shot attempts.

-- Nic Dowd had an uncharacteristically weak game in the faceoff circle, going 2-for-11 (18.2 percent), but he did lead the team in credited hits with five.

-- The Caps outshot the Flyers at even strength, 34-12.  The 12 shots at even strength were the second-fewest allowed by the Caps in a game this season.  They allowed 11 to the Flyers on March 11^th in a 5-3 win.

-- With the win, Ilya Samsonov ran his record this season against the Flyers to 5-0.  He is the eighth goaltender to record at least five wins against the Flyers in a single season.  The others are Martin Brodeur (three times), Henrik Lundqvist (twice), Gerry Cheevers, Rick DiPietro, Marc-Andre Fleury, Glenn Healy, and Chris Terreri.

In the end…

A good win.  Not a great one, but a good one.  There were a few to many defensive lapses to qualify… oh hell, it was against the Flyers, in Philly, so it’s a great win.  Now, do it again in Boston.