Mathieu Perreault Doing The Little Things
by Rob Parker on Feb 15, 2012 10:30 AM EST
in Chalk Talk
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PrintIt's pretty well understood in the hockey community that much of what goes on during a game never finds its way onto the stat sheets. Even with the development of advanced statistics aimed at unearthing these "hidden" contributions (and their counterparts), some of the most impactful plays will go largely untracked and undocumented. Every once in a while, though, if you're paying close enough attention, you might catch some of these under-appreciated moments of productivity in action.
Sunday afternoon against the New York Rangers, Mathieu Perreault finished with a nondescript stat line: 15:05 of ice time, a plus-one rating and one shot on goal. However, a closer look at a couple of plays shows that Perreault was a key factor in both of the Caps goals. Follow along after the jump to see how Perreault was instrumental in facilitating what little offense the Caps were able to produce.
The first Caps' goal goes in the books as a slapshot goal by Alex Semin, assisted by Jason Chimera and John Carlson. The talk about the goal will (rightfully) focus on the blistering shot by Semin, the way Chimera used his speed to open up an entire side of the ice and then deftly dropped the puck for Semin to finish the rush. However, none of that ever happens without a simple, and subtle, contribution from Perreault. Let's take a look:
Despite losing the draw (with a little help from his friends), Perreault maintains solid position and supports Karl Alzner as Alzner battles for the puck along the halfwall. When the puck skirts loose, Perreault is right there to pick it up. Rather than panicking and forcing a pass along the boards, Perreault skates to some open ice and takes a look at his options. He finds John Carlson on the far side of the zone and puts a pass right to his stick. (These seem like simple things, the kind of things you normally don't think of complimenting NHL players for, but given how poor the passing was on Sunday, a good breakout pass really stood out.) By allowing Carlson to skate into the pass Perreault set the Caps up to head up ice through the neutral zone with speed. Carlson hit Chimera, heading up ice with even more speed, and the rest is history. The poise with the puck and accurate pass were the genesis of the entire play.
Late in the third period the Caps were trailing by two and hoping to make something happen to get themselves back in the game. After a neutral zone regroup, the puck once again ended up on Perreault's stick. Once again, Perreault showed poise and control with the puck. He gained the offensive zone and then held on to the puck long enough for support to arrive.
Perreault's ability to maintain puck control and slow things down allowed his teammates to join him in the offensive zone and let them establish a forecheck. In particular his work at around 2:37 bought the Caps an extra second, which may not sound like much, but is actually quite a long time on an NHL sheet of ice.
By drifting to the boards Perreault manages to pull two Rangers to him without letting them get on him until the last second, at which point he dumps the puck behind the net. Roman Hamrlik uses those famous wheels (ahem) to get in on the puck retrieval and cycles the puck down to Alex Ovechkin in the corner. Ovechkin's pass goes through the slot and finds Carlson alone at the point. Carlson's shot deflects off of Ryan McDonagh and into the net (let's be honest, McDonagh owed the Caps one) and the Caps had a shred of hope in the final two minutes of the game. Again, Perreault doesn't show up on the score sheet but that play never happens without his work gaining the zone.
None of this is meant to imply that this is the kind of stuff that you'll see from Perreault on every shift, and it's not meant to elevate Perreault over any other player; these are the kind of things Perreault will need to do regularly if he wants to stick in a top-six role with an NHL team. But there are precious few players that can get away without doing the little things. These examples are just meant to illustrate how the uncelebrated, simple plays factor into success in the NHL, and to highlight how a player can help his team without being rewarded in the box score.
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…and this is (one of the reasons) why MP85 is nowhere in the trade chatter, unlike last year. Dude gonna get paid.
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by TheFuryUnleashed on Feb 15, 2012 3:53 PM EST up reply actions
This kind of stuff seem to be at the heart of the problem with the Caps. They don’t seem to do these types of little things, being in position, making good, quick passes, etc. While a guy like Perreault needs to do this stuff all the time just to stick around, a lot more of the guys could use a refresher course or two.
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Good job as always F&B.
Yesterday I made mention in the main thread that I would be happy if MP85 had a career similar to Cliff Ronning did in the 90s with the Nucks and other teams. For newer hockey fans who may not have seen Ronning play, he was 5’8 165 lb forward who got his greatest exposure in the 1994 SCF for the Nucks vs the Rangers. John Davidson, who was doing colour for MSG/ESPN at the time, said Ronning’s performance made him one of the three best fowards in those Finals. The Vancouver Canucks Legends page has this description of him,
Ronning had hands soft enough to stickhandle in a phone booth. He also has great first-step speed, which he utilizes in a variety of ways to help his teammate, most notably by turning on a dime while carrying the puck to buy him extra time. Ronning has a knack of finding the hole in the open ice and he is effective at distracting a goalie by using his speed to buzz around a net. He’s also tremendously poised, and despite his size, was never afraid to zip in and out of the high traffic areas. Ronning was particularly dangerous on the power play, where he loved to come off the wall and curl into the slot where he would either pass to the corners or slip in further to unleash his weak but accurate shot.
I’m so hoping that (until Nicky gets back) they elevate Perreault up to the first power play group. His decisions with the puck, ability to slow the play, passing precision, and knack of going to the open areas afterwards are much more important on the power play than MJ90’s speed.
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His name actually came up in the press box in Phoenix the other night. One of my all-time favorites.
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by Carl Putnam on Feb 15, 2012 11:28 AM EST up reply actions
Cliff Ronning was a much better player than anyone could expect Perrault to be. I mean, even in the early 00s, with clutch and grab at its height and Ronning in his late 30s, he was putting up 50 point seasons. Do you really think Perrault could do that?
There aren’t many compatibles because there are so few small centers in the NHL, and those that are under 5’9" usually are incredibly talented.
(And did you see that trade that sent Ronning to Vancouver? Ronning, Geoff Courtnall, Robert Dirk, and Sergio Momesso for Garth Butcher and Dan Quinn. What a fleecing.)
Your point about the good first pass is right on the mark. On the few occasions the Caps have managed to string together a handful of passes, they’ve generally established good zone presence and usually a chance or two.
Specifically to MP, he is one of only a handful of Caps that is capable of consistently winning a 50-50 stick battle. When he loses, it can get ugly but he does have the capacity to winkle a puck free in the D zone and start the counterattack.
I had dismissed him as a perpetual ‘tweener but I think he’s got a shot to stick in the big leagues now.
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MP85 also had a nice pick on Callahan that disallowed him from getting out in front of Carlson on the second goal.
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Good article. The Ronning model is a good one, although I don’t think MP will reach that kind of career. Also don’t think he surpasses MarJo on the dept chart. I think he projects out tops at 3C.
I don’t think he passes MoJo either, but 3C seems an odd fit unless it’s a 3 scoring line team.
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Yeah at this point I view them as vying for the same 2C job.
And to succeed at that job both players need significant development.
Perhaps one of them becomes trade bait.
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I don’t see why you’d need to trade either of them. I doubt either has a ton of value right now and they play a position the Caps are in dire need of. Unless they are a part of a package for a 2C it doesn’t make sense to me.
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they just seem redundant at a certain point.
they’re both at position of need, but neither seem on the fast track to being the solution.
"By far the worst performers on the (R*dskins) are in the front office." – Sally Jenkins
No, neither is on the fast track, but why sell them now? The return won’t be great and at least MoJo has a lot more growing to do (in terms of his game, not body). I wouldn’t count MP out, but he’s at a make or break point if you compare him to Briere and MSL in terms of career development curve.
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Nice piece Rob, thanks. I’ve always been a Matty fan so it’s good to see that some time, patience and hard work has earned him a pat on the back and hopefully a contract next season. I never thought the 3rd or 4th line was the place for him, not his “style” of play…you can see how his play has improved while working the top 2 lines. I’d like to see how he’d do on the top PP line.
Agree, Rob; and, yes, I was assuming it was a ‘scoring’ or ‘energy’ line. I was never a fan of the ‘claw’ line concept. It seems to me that a blurring of the 3rd & 4th line purposes allows guys like Hendy, Ward (?), Beagle to play some of the shut-down minutes. Then, guys like Brooks, Chimmy, MP (if he proves he can stay) plays in offensive situations, although Brooksie of course would go shut-down sometimes. A coach just has to be creative during the game. Regardless, I don’t think MP’s offensive upside would ever put him in the top 6.
by Wilderthing on Feb 15, 2012 12:20 PM EST up reply actions
Great post F&B…they usually are by all of the team, thanks!
Seriously, these break-downs they you all supply are very helpful (for me at least). Many a time when at the game, I have to rewatch the game (or portions) to pick up little plays that I missed that, on the whole, contribute to a play (or break-down).
I appreciate it, that’s the goal. If it can help people see things they hadn’t noticed before it’s worth it.
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I agree with ralCapsFan on valuable the video breakdowns are and what a great post this is. I’ve said it before but I love your vids.
I also rewatch parts of a game to figure what happened on a play, but it’s usually for what went wrong. Good to read analysis on the little things that a player can do that helps the team, the kind of details that most fans don’t recognize. I have a little bit more knowledge now. Thanks.
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by capsyoungguns on Feb 16, 2012 4:31 PM EST up reply actions
I definitely dig the videos of the little things that players do right. Many times I see these at game speed, but probably just as many times I miss them. But looking for that sort of play is why I enjoy watching hockey.
Can I throw out a request for something like this with a couple examples of subtle but well executed defense? (If you have time and or examples pop up?)
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Of course Rob likes Mathieu Perreault!
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Great post, definitely helps me understand the game a little better.
On MP85, I think he has been solid this year. I have noticed him holding on to the puck below the crease better lately. Impressive for a little guy to do that.
Personally, I want MP85 ahead of MoJo. I think MoJo has been really weak by all measures and don’t see us winning w/ him in top 6.
MP85 is driving play w/ Corsi Rel at 10.8, albeit with the softest forward minutes on the team. But, MoJo is only playing medium tough minutes and all his number are lousy. Especially his Corsi Rel of -8.3! Yikes. Let’s give MP85 some tougher minutes and see how he handles it.
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I don’t think Perreault drives play all that much. I think he, like Ovechkin is now as well, needs certain circumstances to be successful, and when he gets into those situations, he is successful. Otherwise, he’ll be very unsuccessful. At least, that’s my take.
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by red army line on Feb 15, 2012 9:17 PM EST up reply actions
Right now, it doesn’t matter if he drives a Yugo. . . he’s the best option for an offensively minded center on the team. With Backstrom out and Laich injured/matched up against hard competition, and Johansson sucking balls, MP is the best guy to have skating on the top lines.
As for his ability to “drive ****” (I’m not going to dignify the phrase by repeating it), MP’s underlying skills (great skater with the puck, great passer, excellent in traffic) suggest that he can certainly do some of the things that help maintain puck possession. His deficiencies in face-offs and along the boards suggest that he needs to be used wisely, but much the same can be said of many players, including Johansson.
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Great Stuff Rob
It really bothers me that Perreault is the one player who seems able to connect on an outlet pass right now.
If I were to suggest another post on Perreault, it would diagram how he finds “soft spots” in an opponent’s defensive coverage.
Does anyone else feel like Perreault’s play has improved with greater responsibility, and that the team might (hopefully) start viewing him as a legitimate NHL player if he can keep this up?
Personally, I think Perreault is quickly surpassing Johansson on the depth chart. Were it not for Johansson’s pedigree, I think it might have happened already. Johansson is just. . . brutal.
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Soft spots is a great call. Let’s all hope he gives me some examples this weekend.
I do think he’s been finding his game as he’s continued to get the ice, but that could be a lot of things. He’s going to need to keep it up. The interesting thing will be what happens if he keeps it up and Nick gets healthy. Does he get forced out of the top 6 again or do they continue to give him a chance to play with scorers (or guys who should be scorers).
Right now, I’d put MP on for a PP1 or to center AO and AS. But he’s several years older and more experienced. Johansson isn’t getting it done now, but I still think he has a great skill set and is ahead of where MP was at that age. I would love to see the discussions about MP and Johansson not have to pit them against each other (because I like them both), but that’s obviously not the way these things work.
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