Caps problems accumulating

All fans know the Caps have been struggling bad as of late. In this article, another writer (Will F.) and myself (Zach H.), are going to discuss what we believe the team's biggest issues are and some realistic solutions.

 

Zach: Ya know, the Caps have taken too many penalties throughout this losing stretch. Not only are they taking penalties, they're taking dumb penalties. There's just no excuse for stuff like clearing the puck over the glass, when your a goal down in the 3rd period. When their penalty kill is performing as awful as it is right now, it may be a good idea to stay disciplined on the ice. That kind of thing isn't, and shouldn't have to be, coached at the NHL level.

 

Will:  I agree with that. But I'd also like to add, a long standing problem with this team is their reliance on Alexander Ovechkin. When your star player goes on a cold streak, you mean to tell me nobody else on the team can step up and get hot? Backstrom is the exception mostly because he's predominantly on the same line as the Great 8. I don't know, it's just frustrating...

 

Zach: It is frustrating! This club has been breaking fans hearts since they joined the NHL in 1974-75. I'm glad you brought up the point of "the rest of the team needing to step up". Ya know, you look at players like Troy Brouwer and Brooks Laich who have been solid in the past and who were expected to have big seasons, and they aren't producing goals and points. I personally thought Brouwer broke out last year and would be a 30-40 goal scorer this year. He averaged about a half goal a game last year, so who would have thought at this point he would only have 9 goals? Although Laich has looked better the last few games, he just hasn't been the same player he was before the ongoing groin injuries began.

 

Will: for sure. Laich and Brouwer should have stepped up. Laich always has that cliche "locker room leader" bit going on that it doesn't even matter when it comes to production. He's actually a guy I deem expendable! So what if you're loved by fans and teammates. Professional sports has a proper question, "what have you done for me lately?", so yea Brooks, what the ___ dude?

 

Zach: It looks like Kuznetsov (a KHL superstar), has decided he's coming to North America for next season. I think it's really gonna happen this time. It's a definite fact that he's broken all [contract-extension] negotiations with his KHL team, Tractor Chelyabinsk. I think he will provide the 2nd line scoring consistency we've been looking for. Grabo will most likely be extended, and him and Kuznetsov could be something special. Not too mention a powerplay booster.

 

Will: I can't pretend to know who that is. What position does he play? How do we know he'll play for Washington? You know I'm just a casual fan...

 

Zach: Well he was drafted by the Caps as a center, but he's played right wing for Traktor the last few seasons. Mcphee had 2nd line center in mind when drafting him, but with Grabo as a nice fit at 2nd line center, I'd expect them to play him at right wing. He has been known to have a bit of trouble on the faceoff dot, but he's been a top 5 NHL prospect per hockeysfuture.com since 2011. HAS had some injury issues, but his skill level is why the Caps haven't gave up on his arrival and traded his rights. He has yet to join the Caps in the NHL since being drafted in 2010 so they obviously still own his rights.
So, what do you think about this defense Will? Do you see anyone as possible  bait come the March 5th trade deadline?

 

Will: Wow that guy seems like a difference maker for sure. To me, there's two people I would bait to improve the Defense. It's Braden Holtby and Mike Green. As you know, I can't stand Mike Green. His defense is infuriating. When Oate's says in the media "I think Green could've laid down in front of that." It's obvious he isn't doing what he's supposed to be doing and what he's PAID TO DO! But I also understand his contract is hard to move. Holtby is also so streaky and up-and-down that I'd rather go with Grubauer and Nuevy. But that's just my two cents...

 

Zach: I totally agree with that. Holtby hasn't been as consistent as Neuvirth over there NHL careers. I think Holtby is having problems with positioning in the net. But as for the defense, outside of Carlson and Alzner, I feel like everyone is possibly expendable. Star players don't score very often against the Caps and the reason for that is Carlson and Alzner are good at shutting them down. Most of the goals scored against the Caps is from opposing teams second and third waves. Green and Orlov have been very risky with the puck and as a result we see a ton of odd man rushes. I know offensive minded defensemen are a new trend in the league but you need some guys in your lineup, who can play defense better then offense on the blueline. I think Mcphee is going to get that problem solved at the deadline.

 

Will: I hope so. The holes in this team are really obvious and you have to believe GMGM will make the proper moves. That does it for me, here's to a (hopefully) more exciting second half of the season! 

 

Zach: I think if the Caps can get a win or two, they can pull themselves out of this wreck. The trade deadline will definitely be interesting. Until then I'll be watching every game win or lose because I just love hockey and the Caps that much.

 

Thanks for Reading,

 

Zach Hart and Will Facciolo

Shades of Red

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Capitals (22-21-8) vs. Canadiens (27-19-5) Game Preview

The Caps will travel to Montreal Saturday January25th, to battle the Canadiens at Bell Centre arena. Puck-drop is scheduled for 7:00pm.

The Caps hope to break out of their losing streak against a Canadiens club who is struggling as well. The Candiens will play their first home contest after finishing a four game road trip that saw them go 1-3-0. They have dropped three contests in a row and have only scored one goal in each of their last two games. Their most recent loss, was a 1-4 trampling dealt to them by the Redwings on Friday night. They were clearly outworked in the matchup and will be coming out strong against the struggling Caps.

For the Caps, I'll go ahead and say this right away: Ovechkin skated this morning and chances are high that he returns to the lineup tonight. When Ovechkin was asked if he would start, he said "I hope I'm going to be in, and help my team finally get a win."

Last night against the Devils, the Caps lost their 7th straight game. The Caps have scored only one goal since Ovechkin was sidelined with a lower-body injury. They've have had issues in just about all categories. They're taking unacceptable penalties way too often and their penalty kill has been horrible. Green and Orlov are making bad decisions with the puck and that's leading to multiple odd-man breaks per-game for the opposition. They're (near the top of the league) powerplay has lost it's scoring consistency which is really bad when they're having problems scoring 5on5. The second and third defensive pairs are getting caught out of position, not blocking shots, are losing the board battles and are making poor passes out of the zone. The goalie situation hasn't been what the Caps need it to be either.

If the Caps want to break out of this situation and make a playoff push, it needs to start tonight against the Canadiens. The defense HAS to start blocking shots! Good shot-blocking can win games alone and with the defense giving up the amount of shots they are, it has to start becoming a habit. As for the forwards, they need to start stepping up their game with more creativity.

What to expect for the Caps' lineup:
-Holtby is expected to get the start in net tonight. For the season he has a 13-12-2 record, a 3.00 GAA and a .911 save%. In his last 5 starts the net-minder has given up an ugly 15 goals.
-The Caps recalled forward Casey Wellman from the AHL and reassigned Defensemen Nate Shmidt. Let's all hope Casey Wellman fills in for the underperforming Erat tonight. With Nate Shmidt sent back down, we can expect to see Erskine in the lineup.

The Canadiens have yet to name their starting goalie for tonights matchup. But with Carey Price's recent struggles, we project that Peter Budaj will get the start. For the season Budaj has a 5-4-1 record, a 2.06 GAA and a .923 save%.

Zach's Three Key's to the Game:
Shot-blocking - As I said before, when your defense is struggling as bad as ours is, they have to put their body in front of every puck that's sent towards our net. It can be game changer.

Discipline - If we don't take the penalties we don't have to kill them. The Caps have to stay out of the box if they want to start putting marks in the win column.

Secondary scoring - This should just say "scoring" because as much as the lines have been switched around it's hard to pick out who should be singled out off the 1st line. But the bottom line is, we need to see more creativity from players like Backstrom, Johansson, Brouwer and Brooks Laich. Ovechkin can't do it all. Time to step up and play to your previously shown abilities!

LETS GO CAPS!

Zach Hart
Shades of Red

Capitals (22-20-8) vs. Devils (21-19-11) - Game Preview

Capitals look to end losing streak

          This is the first of five games on the road for the Washington Capitals. Tonight (Friday, Jan 24), at 7:00pm, they play the Devils at Prudential Center, tomorrow they travel to the Bell Center to face off against the Montreal Canadiens, Tuesday, they head to First Niagara Center to face off against the Buffalo Sabres, Thursday they will be going to the Nationwide Center to take on the red hot Columbus Blue Jackets, and finally on Friday, they will be taking on the Detroit Red Wings.

          This is the second of the four meetings between these two Metropolitan Division rivals. Andy Greene scored the overtime winner 43 seconds into overtime; the cause of the loss was by Washington blowing a 4-2 lead.  In their last 10 games, New Jersey is 4-3-3 while Washington is 2-5-3 in their last 10.  The Capitals are looking to change that tonight. Washington is on a 6 game losing skid (0-4-2); they were outscored 19-7 during that skid.

          Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin will be a likely game time decision tonight after missing Tuesday’s game against the Ottawa Senators where they were shutout 2-0 at the Verizon Center.  Ovechkin sustained a lower-body injury during the game Sunday against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden.  Without Ovechkin, the Capitals are 13-9-2.

          What’s hot: In his four games before missing Tuesday with an injury, Ovechkin had three goals. As for the Devils, Cory Schneider is 3-0-2 in his previous five starts with a .966 save percentage and .96 GAA.  He ranks second in the NHL in GAA with 1.88.

          Injuries: Ovechkin (lower body) is listed as day-to-day, defenseman Jack Hillen (tibia surgery) is also out for Washington.  New Jersey forward Adam Henrique (hand) left Tuesday’s game from blocking a shot, but returned to practice. Defenseman Peter Harrold is almost ready to be activated off of the IR (foot).  

By-Sarah Park

 

Kuznetsov Update!

Who knows where the Caps would be if former 1st round pick Evgeny Kuznetsov, had joined the team years ago. If his skill level transitions to the NHL quickly, the Caps could have that second lethal scorer they've been looking for to compliment The Great 8. His arrival brings many options to this club. I can't stress that enough. He comes in and immediately makes another player with a large cap hit expendable. Especially Brooks Laich and Troy Brouwer. Kuznetsov's cap hit will be low for awhile so that gives Mcphee the ability to spend that money to improve another area of the squad. You might be thinking to yourself, "but what if he doesn't come" or "what makes you confident enough to write these things." Well let me explain...

 

Evgeny Kuznetsov has broken all [contract extension] negotiations with Traktor Chelyabinsk. He recently obtained his US Visa and he has reiterated that he will NOT be staying in Russia.

 

“It’s been decided for a long time now, there should be no questions. I won’t even stay for $10 or $15 million," Kuznetsov said.
“People have been waiting for me, writing and coming here for three years. I’m a decent man and I will keep my word.”

 

The director of Traktor still stands by his statement that he's "200% sure he's leaving [for Washington] once the seasons over."

 

I think it's a lock Caps fans. Kuznetsov will finally be coming to the Caps. Now we ask ourselves, is it possible we could see him in a uniform before the seasons end? Let's break it down.

 

The KHL season ends on March 3rd. They have two conferences and the 8 best teams from each conference make the playoffs. Kuznetsov's team (Traktor), is currently in 8th place of the Eastern conference which makes them the final seed, if the playoffs were to start now. The two teams in 9th and 10th place behind Traktor, are within two points of stealing that 8th and final playoff spot.

 

If Kuznetsov's team doesn't make the playoffs, his season and contract with Traktor would be played out, two days before NHL's March 5th trade deadline. If the Caps have a legitimate chance at making the playoffs when that time comes, Kuznetsov could come over and provide some much needed scoring depth. It would keep McPhee from having to trade someone for a rental player and would allow him to focus on making a trade (top 4 defensemen maybe) that will help the club's future seasons. We would also get a sample of what to expect from Kuzya and what part of his NHL game he needs to work on during the offseason.

 

But also, theres a very strong possibility that Kuznetsov will stay in Russia and focus on getting all of his ducks in a row for his move to North America. He would get a fresh start on a new season (2014/15) and a full offseason under Capital's coaches before beginning his NHL career.

 

No matter what happens, Caps fans should be excited!

 

 

Zach Hart
Shades of Red

Oleksy on Waivers, Grubauer to Hershey

The Caps have sent Grubauer back to Hershey after the potential up and coming star was pulled from two games. Oates' said he told Grubauer after being reassigned that he had "improved a lot" and to "keep working on his game." He also stated that his being yanked early in two recent games "wasn't necessarily his fault" but after a slight decline in his game, Oates said the team had "lost the spark in a sense." The move gets the Caps back to a sense of normalcy with their two regulars Holtby and Neuvirth getting back to it. Now the question will be, which goalie will step up and be the #1? Neuvirth has had two pretty good outings and Holtby didn't play "too awful" in his last two relief efforts. It should be interesting to see what happens moving forward.

In another roster move, Steve Oleksy was placed on waivers by the Capitals on Monday and if he's not claimed by another NHL team (we suspect he will with his high level of player enforcement) will be sent to Hershey as well. This could be good news for guys like Connor Carrick and Dmitry Orlov who have been in the lineup as of late and are looking for as much NHL ice-time as possible.

Theres no doubt more roster moves will be made in the next day or two as two roster spots can be filled in case someone were to get injured. Seems as though Mcphee and Oates are cleaning up the roster a bit and they'll surely be busy throughout the Olympic break figuring out what options are available on the trade market and in their affiliate teams. Some have suspected Andre Burakovsky (if he can recover from his concussion) could see some time with the Caps soon. Most likely filling the spot of a guy named Martin Erat.

Let us know what you think of the moves and keep following Shades of Red!

Zach

Identifying the Caps' Problems

The Caps have lost 10 of their last 12 matchups and their chances of making the playoffs are on the decline. With 12 games left to play before the Olympic break, and 36 total games left in the season, the Caps will have to find solutions to the problems that have plagued them since game 1, quickly. Lets take a look at some of these problems.

Turnovers:
The Caps have consistently made bad decisions with the puck this season. Being smarter when moving the puck and not making passes that could potentially lead to a breakaway or an odd man rush could go a long ways towards getting wins.

Defensemen getting caught in the zone:
In Adam Oates' system, the defensemen have full permission to enter the O-zone and help the forwards cycle the puck or help out by providing some extra offense. But they have to anticipate when it's ok to gamble like that. It absolutely helps out the forwards and strengthens our chances at scoring, but if it's not done carefully, it helps the opponents chances of scoring as well. We have seen WAY too many odd man rushes for the opposition this year.

Penalty Kill:
They started the season off near the top of the league when on the PK. But they have lost the touch. The Caps now rank 18th in the league when they're a man or two down. They have to get better on the penalty kill. When they have the chance, they need to clear the puck. They're letting opponents cycle the puck around until one line is completely out of energy and the puck ends up in the back of the net. Shotblocking, clearing the crease and getting into passing lanes would go a long way towards improving the PK. Their PK has been the main reason for some of their recent tallies in the loss column as of late.

Discipline:
The bottom line is, when your a man down, your losing time in which you could be focusing on scoring goals. The penalties have to stop. How many times in the last 12 games have we seen someone clear the puck over the glass for a delay of game? How many penalties have we taken in the last 5 minutes of the game. Just like when the Caps thought they had the game won against Buffalo after scoring on Ryan Miller late in the 3rd only to have the goal washed out due to a Backstrom penalty. These guys are professionals and they need to start focusing on avoiding the dumb penalties. Its dragging them down.

Shotblocking:
I saved this for last because I think it's single handedly, the worst problem the Caps have had ALL season long. They're the 3rd worst team in the league when it comes to shots on goal against, giving up an average of 34.1. This is absolutely horrific! If the Caps are going to turn this thing around, someone besides John Carlson needs to start stepping in front of pucks. Shotblocking is key in this league! Seriously, how many blocked shots do we see a game? Barely any... The Caps beat the defending champion Bruins in a playoff series with Dale Hunters shotblocking style and I don't understand how NONE of that stuck with these guys. Shotblocking can steal a game just as much as an incredibly good goalie can. It's just too important to not utilize at this level. The worst part is, it's like they haven't realized they're giving up all of these shots and are just placing the responsibility on the shoulder of the goalie. I have not seen Calle Johansson try to make any adjustments to help limit the opponents shots on net. We obviously lack one or two shutdown defensemen, so shotblocking is the key to the puzzle. If they start sacrificing their bodies, we could very well see a dramatic turn around for this team.

With the right adjustments, I do believe this team is capable of making a deep playoff run. Last game in Pittsburgh, the Caps were coming off a late OT loss the night before and the Penguins were coming off a three day break but we still controlled much of the game. Sure we have lost to the last place Buffalo Sabres, but we have beat some really good teams as well. I think this team is better then what their record suggests. They need to find a way to limit their mistakes and 90% of those are coming from their defensive game. You'd better believe that Mcphee knows and sees exactly what we do and we could be sellers AND buyers at the March 5th trade deadline. This defense could use a shake up and I see that happening in the near future.

LETS GO CAPS!

Zach Hart
Shades of Red

Capitals (22-16-8) vs. Penguins (33-12-2) - Getting Ready for the Game

For this week's "NHL's Wednesday night rivalry," hockey fans around the nation will tune in to see the Capitals and Penguins battle it out at Pittsburgh's Consol Energy Center. The opening faceoff is scheduled for 8:00pm.

The Caps face a daunting task in trying to beat the Eastern Conference leading Penguins in the 2nd game of a back to back set. The Caps have struggled to get wins as of late, and have lost 8 of their last 11 games (including 5 OT losses.) They're in dire need of points, and how they perform between now and the Olympic break, could very well define their season.

Adam Oates recently shuffled the lines around a bit and what he came up with was quite brilliant. The change should pay off as the players build chemistry with their new mates. Oates moved Ovechkin down to line 2, to play with the "North/South" game of Grabovski and Fehr who has been heating up. Brouwer and Laich have had struggles scoring this season, so he puts one of the best set up guys in the league in Backstrom, right between them on line 1. Lastly, he adds even more speed to line 3, sending speedy Johansson down to play with Ward and lightning quick Chimera. Pittsburgh's defensemen could have their hands full if all 4 lines are rolling. 

The last time the Caps played the Pens, they allowed them to get 40 shots on goal compared to the Caps 18. With that being said, I feel confident in predicting that the performance and effort the Caps defensemen show up with could very well determine the outcome of this game. Crosby and Kunitz's line has been stellar and they will require full attention. The Caps should look to stuff the Penguins at their blue line and take away the outlet passing lanes. When they do get the puck into our zone, they should try to keep the game to the outside and challenge the Penguins on the boards. If they sit back and let the Penguins pass it around and create scoring chances, this game could get out of control quick. The Caps have had problems with turnovers all season. They need to make smarter decisions with the puck, and the defenders cannot continue getting caught in the offensive zone. Shotblocking and crisp passes out of our zone will be key!

This is a huge rivalry and Console Energy Center will be loud! If the Caps can get a good amount of zone-time and score early, they may be able to quiet that crowd down a bit. Look for Ovechkin, Brouwer, Wilson and Volpatti to lay down some hits early and often. The Penguins may have the energy advantage after coming off of a three day break but the Caps will have to find a way to match that. The forwards should look to create screens in front of Andre Fleury who shutout the Caps the last time these teams met. After every shot, we should see someone charging the net looking for a rebound to stuff in. The Penguins are an excellent team and we will need to capitalize on what opportunities are dished our way.

Both teams feature some of the leagues top scorers: 

The Penguins' Crosby, leads the league in points with 67 and is tied for 2nd in goal scoring with 25. Chris Kunitz has the leagues best +/- with a +24 and is 5th in goal scoring with 24 goals. James Neal is tied for 5th in the league with 8 power play goals. Although Kris Letang has missed quite a few games to injury, his 5 power play goals and 8 total goals are both good enough for the leagues top 10 in both categories (by defensemen.)

The Caps' Ovechkin is the leagues #1 goal scorer with 33 goals and has scored the most power play goals in the league with 12. Nicklas Backstrom leads the league with**** 23 powerplay assists and his 48 total points is good for 9th in the league. 

Both teams would be wise to stay out of the penalty box as they are tied for the leagues best powerplay %. They each score on the man advantage an average of 25.2% of opportunities. The Penguins have the advantage here as their penalty kill is the leagues 2nd best and the Caps is ranked 19th. 

The Capitals need all of the division wins they can get right now. Besting the Pens in this Metropolitan Division matchup would go a long way towards showing they're better then their record suggests. The Caps need a confidence booster and getting the win against their Eastern Conference leading rival would do just that.

GO CAPS!

Zach Hart

Shades of Red