So. Last night could have gone better.
Amazingly, it also could have been much, much worse, and would have been if the Caps had played in the first period the way they did in the final forty minutes. Despite being down 2-0 a little over halfway through that opening period, the Caps held the advantage in shots and shot attempts, scoring chances, and expected goals.
And then…well, then the second period started.
The biggest issue last night wasn’t even just the ability, or lack thereof, to generate offense consistently (although that certainly became an issue as the game went on, score effects be damned). It was, and continues to be through all three of these first few games, defensive miscues by blueliners and forwards alike. Giving up six goals isn’t going to reflect well on the goalie, but Darcy Kuemper was left out to dry far more than was necessary because his team wasn’t communicating in front of him.
Add in lackluster special teams, with a power play that has yet to find the back of the net this season and penalty killers who have killed off just nine of their first 13 times shorthanded, and a group of high-flying offensive players who have been essentially grounded, and…yeah. It’s not good.
All that said, we are three games into the Spencer Carbery era. There are injuries (for a change) and there has been turnover and the team’s schedule, before the season has started and over the first week, has been wonky and not at all helpful in finding rhythm and chemistry. Is it good right now? No. Is the team fun to watch? Absolutely not. Is it too soon to panic?
100% yes. Deep breaths, and on to Montreal.
Three Takeaways:
- It took them three tries (and almost three full first periods) but the Caps finally scored a first-period goal last night, thanks to John Carlson’s late-frame tally to break the shutout. That, combined with the fact that they’ve trailed 2-0 in three consecutive games, is a bleak picture of where this team is at right now.
- Those new lines that everyone (including us!) was talking about the other day did actually look better…for a while, at least. Although it’s interesting to note that, with the switch, the younger guys who showed up in the first two games kind of fell off; in fact, Connor McMichael, Lucas Johansen, and 29-year-old Tom Wilson were the only players under 30 to have a positive CF Rel% at five on five last night, while previous standouts like Matthew Phillips and Sonny Milano were at the bottom of the pack. It’s one game, so small sample size and patience for adjustments, but still.
- This is the first time in Alex Ovechkin’s entire career – of which we are in the 19th season, for those keeping track – that he has been held without a single shot on goal in consecutive games. Which is both incredibly impressive and a little terrifying.