Comments / New

Capital Ups and Downs: Week 9

Our weekly look at individual Washington Capitals‘ ups and downs:

Goalies Trend Notes
Michal Neuvirth https://i0.wp.com/assets.sbnation.com/assets/217757/dash.png?w=640 Started (for the first time in nearly two weeks) in Dallas, and was good (two goals allowed on 21 shots against), but would no doubt want back the one that got away – a long-range knuckling wrister from Brandon Segal that beat Neuvy clean just 20 seconds after the Caps had tied the game at one in the third period.
Semyon Varlamov https://i0.wp.com/assets.sbnation.com/assets/217733/up.png?w=640 Phenomenal against St. Louis (stopping 37 of 38 shots in the win), human against Atlanta (30 of 33 in the loss), but still lights-out overall since returning from injury, to the tune of 4-1-0/1.58.
Defensemen
Karl Alzner https://i0.wp.com/assets.sbnation.com/assets/217757/dash.png?w=640 Minus-one with no points for the week (and that makes nine-straight games without an appearance on the score sheet), but played a perfect 6:39 shorthanded and had his first three-SOG game of the season (fifth in his career) on Thursday, and followed it up with another on Saturday.
John Carlson https://i0.wp.com/assets.sbnation.com/assets/217757/dash.png?w=640 A couple of secondary (even-strength) helpers and 7:22 of scoreless penalty-killing this week for the rookie time-on-ice leader, who also got 2:34 of power-play time on Saturday. Of course, perhaps he should have had a goal this week as well…
John Erskine https://i0.wp.com/assets.sbnation.com/assets/217725/cross.png?w=640 His week was off to a great start with an assist, five hits and a plus-2 rating in St. Louis, but he got hurt against Dallas and was unable to play against Atlanta. Erskine has had an outstanding (for him) start to the season, but with the acquisition of Scott Hannan now finds himself as the odd man out when everyone on the blueline is healthy (if and when that ever happens).
Mike Green https://i0.wp.com/assets.sbnation.com/assets/217737/down.png?w=640 Green had just one point for the week (a beautiful power-play set-up of Mike Knuble on the Caps’ only tally in Dallas) and was on the ice for both power-play goals the team allowed. Perhaps most disappointingly, the Caps scored just once in 56:48 at even-strength with Green on the ice this week.
Scott Hannan https://i0.wp.com/assets.sbnation.com/assets/217757/dash.png?w=640 It’s a little early to be passing judgment on The New Guy, but here are his numbers through two games: 0 points, 0 SOG, minus-1, 2 PIMs, 4 hits, 5 blocked shots, 28:08 TOI, and the big one – 5:27 of scoreless shorthanded time.
Tom Poti https://i0.wp.com/assets.sbnation.com/assets/217725/cross.png?w=640 Injured? Get. Out. But hey, he’s hopeful that he can play tonight, so there’s that.
Jeff Schultz https://i0.wp.com/assets.sbnation.com/assets/217757/dash.png?w=640 His defensive numbers were pretty much the same as Green’s this week – on the ice for both power-play goals against and one at even-strength – but since no offense is expected from him, Sarge gets no down arrow. Though if I have to see Saturday night’s Andrew Ladd goal again, I might not be so kind…
Tyler Sloan https://i0.wp.com/assets.sbnation.com/assets/217757/dash.png?w=640 Got a sweater on Saturday night, but those nights will likely be few and far between going forward (especially if he makes a habit out of being beaten out of the corner like he was on Alexander Burmistrov‘s goal).
Forwards
Nicklas Backstrom https://i0.wp.com/assets.sbnation.com/assets/217757/dash.png?w=640 Splendid in St. Loo (two goals, one assist, plus-2), but scoreless the rest of the week and just 43.9% successful in the dot over the three games.
Matt Bradley https://i0.wp.com/assets.sbnation.com/assets/217757/dash.png?w=640 Not much to report, but to put Brads’ ice time in perspective (no Cap who has played in eight or more games is averaging less), he played just 1:24 less than in three games this week than Alex Ovechkin played on Saturday night.
Jason Chimera https://i0.wp.com/assets.sbnation.com/assets/217737/down.png?w=640 With no points and a minus-one in each game this week (and one goal in his last 16 games), Chimera is now at his worst goals- and points-per game rate since before the lockout and is on pace for 11 goals and 17 assists. Pretty disappointing numbers, but the effort and sacrifice are still there.
Eric Fehr https://i0.wp.com/assets.sbnation.com/assets/217737/down.png?w=640 Goal-less in seven games (and with just one in his last 14, two in his last 24), Fehr is lucky to be playing every night right now. Put another way, if he fails to score in his next game, his two-goals-in-25-games will match his totals from his first two NHL seasons (and at least then, he was a plus-three, as opposed to his current team-worst minus-5). That’s, um, not good.
Boyd Gordon https://i0.wp.com/assets.sbnation.com/assets/217757/dash.png?w=640 Scored that elusive first goal of the season (and a game-winner at that) in St. Louis and won 63.6% of his draws for the week, but was on the ice for the Burmistrov and Ladd goals against Atlanta, the latter coming just seconds after Gordon lost a defensive-zone faceoff to Nik Antropov.
Matt Hendricks https://i0.wp.com/assets.sbnation.com/assets/217757/dash.png?w=640 Had a fight in Dallas, but hasn’t scored a goal in ten games. However (and more importantly), Hendricks hasn’t been on the ice for a goal against in his last six games (which included 3:40 of shorthanded ice time this past week).
Marcus Johansson https://i0.wp.com/assets.sbnation.com/assets/217757/dash.png?w=640 Was on the ice for both goals in Dallas and failed to register a point in three games (with just two shots on goal on the week and none during the 46-shot barrage Saturday night). Yep, the Caps are still looking for a second-line center.
D.J. King https://i0.wp.com/assets.sbnation.com/assets/217733/up.png?w=640 King got into a game this week and got on the scoreboard, assisting on the game-winning Gordon tally on Wednesday night. That point – his first as a Cap – put him ahead of Gordon, Fehr, Knuble and Steckel in points-per-sixty-minutes at 5-on-5. Good enough for an up arrow in my book.
Mike Knuble https://i0.wp.com/assets.sbnation.com/assets/217757/dash.png?w=640 An apple in St. Louis, a grape in Dallas… keep Knubs on the top line and more fruit will follow.
Brooks Laich https://i0.wp.com/assets.sbnation.com/assets/217757/dash.png?w=640 Scored on Wednesday, but – not breaking news – isn’t the answer at second-line center, as he demonstrated on Thursday.
Alex Ovechkin https://i0.wp.com/assets.sbnation.com/assets/217737/down.png?w=640 Got the monkey off his back with a goal on Saturday night to break a nine-game goal-less streak (which was actually 11, if you don’t want to count a shot that were going wide that the opposing goalie redirected into his own net), but is still scoring goals at by far the worst per-game rate of his career. And as for all the “now he’s a playmaker” talk, while it’s true that his assist totals are impressive, his assists/60 at 5-on-5 are actually down significantly this year as compared to last season, and twice as many of his power-play helpers have come on secondary assists this season (whereas last year he had more primaries). Does that really sounds like a vastly improved playmaker to you?
Alexander Semin https://i0.wp.com/assets.sbnation.com/assets/217757/dash.png?w=640 A goal-less week (gasp!) that ended with him watching from the bench with the goalie pulled on Saturday. Wonder if that sends the desired message to the League’s third-leading goal-scorer.
David Steckel https://i0.wp.com/assets.sbnation.com/assets/217757/dash.png?w=640 Scratched against St. Louis, Steckel responded with… well, not a whole lot. In fact, he didn’t even get a second of penalty-killing time against the Thrashers… but that’s only because he was in the box for the only two Atlanta power-plays on the night.

Facebook_16 Twitter_16

0 0 votes
Article Rating
Subscribe
Notify of
guest
0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

Talking Points

%d bloggers like this: