Japers’ Rink Player Card (click for a hi-res version, and a glossary of terms used in this post can be found here; data via NHL.com, war-on-ice.com, General Fanager and Stats.HockeyAnalysis.com):
Beagle’s Season, Game-by-Game (via HockeyViz, explained here):
Beagle’s HERO Chart (via Own The Puck):
Beagle’s and His Linemates:
Beagle’s 5v5 Teammates and Competition (via HockeyViz, explained here):
Beagle’s 5v5 Usage:
Beagle’s With-or-Without You (via HockeyViz, explained here):
Beagle’s Rolling Shot-Attempt (Corsi) -For Percentage:
Beagle’s Six Qualifying Seasons (via Stats.HockeyAnalysis.com):
Key Stat: Despite having over 58 percent of (non-neutral zone, non-on-the-fly) shifts start in the defensive zone, the second-highest percentage among Capitals‘ forwards, Beagle’s 1.46 goals against per 60 minutes of even-strength, 5v5 play was the second-lowest among Capitals with at least 40 games played this season.
Interesting Stat: Beagle’s 50 individual high-danger scoring chances at even-strength, 5v5 were the seventh-most on the team, despite playing in just 57 games this season due to a wrist injury. The only players with a better individual high-danger scoring chances to total game ratio this season were Justin Williams and Alexander Ovechkin.
The Good: As he’s done for the vast majority of his professional career, Beagle was dominant on the penalty kill, a unit that ranked second in the NHL with an 85.2 percent kill rate. Beagle’s 13.6 high-danger scoring chances against per 60 on the penalty kill was the best rate on the team for every player with at least one minute of penalty kill time per game. And when Beagle was on the ice, the Capitals allowed 42.9 shots per 60, the second-best rate among forwards with at least a minute of penalty kill time per game.
Beagle essentially solidified himself as a prototypical fourth line center in the NHL this season who is capable of occasionally chipping in offensively. Over the course of his entire career, the Capitals are 23-1-5 when Beagle scores a goal, making him the Capitals unofficial good luck charm.
Once again, Beagle was a stud on the faceoff dot. His 58.5 percent success rate was not only the best percentage of his career, but he trailed only Jonathan Toews (58.6) in the entire NHL among players with at least 100 faceoff attempts (Beagle ranked third, as Ryan Kesler took more total face offs this season, but finished with the same percentage).
The Bad: The way he’s utilized isn’t necessarily his fault, but Beagle was in the wrong position when he was penciled in as the third line center early on in the season. When he went down with a hand injury on Dec. 30 against the Buffalo Sabres, Barry Trotz adjusted his lines, placing Andre Burakovsky as the second-line left wing and dropping Marcus Johansson down as the third center. The change of offensive pace was dramatically noticeable, and with the addition of Mike Richards, Beagle was pretty much solidified as a fourth line player following his return.
This season’s hand injury also continued a discouraging trend for Beagle. The 30-year-old has never played more than 63 games in a single season, as he’s dealt with a plethora of injuries, including a broken hand, a shoulder injury, a broken foot and a head injury since 2011. At a cap-friendly $1.75 million for the next two years, Beagle plays an integral part in the organization, and having him out of the lineup is obviously not ideal.
The GIF/Video:
That Beagle stick save slo-mo and above the net angle. Oh. my. god. pic.twitter.com/Os0rJKbF1E
— CAPITALS HILL (@CapitalsHill) May 11, 2016
The Vote: Rate Beagle below on a scale of 1-10 (10 being the best) based on his performance relative to his potential and your expectations for the season – if he had the best year you could have imagined him having, give him a 10; if he more or less played as you expected he would, give him a 5 or a 6; if he had the worst year you could have imagined him having, give him a 1.
The Discussion: Is Beagle among the best penalty-killing forwards in the NHL? Do you believe he will ever be a capable third-line center? What would it take for you to give him a “10” next year?