The Washington PostDemocracy Dies in Darkness

Capitals seeking more production from top six as first round creeps closer

August 7, 2020 at 5:27 p.m. EDT
The Capitals’ top six forwards have struggled to bring the offensive firepower the team was so accustomed to during the season. (Andre Ringuette/Freestyle Photo/Getty Images)

TORONTO — The Washington Capitals have not played their best hockey in the bubble. With temporary missing pieces on the blue line and among their bottom six forwards, the team’s offensive leaders, especially in the top six, have failed to compensate for the gaping holes.

Since Alex Ovechkin’s two-goal night against the Carolina Hurricanes in the team’s lone exhibition game last week, the captain has taken a combined five shots on goal in the team’s past two games: a 3-2 shootout loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning and a 3-1 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers. Nicklas Backstrom, who did not practice Friday, had only two shots on goal between both contests. Backstrom led all forwards in ice time Thursday.

Jakub Vrana, who has five shots on goal through two games, was gifted clear breakaway attempts in both round-robin games but still couldn’t flip one past either Andrei Vasilevskiy or Brian Elliott.

Even when Evgeny Kuznetsov looked to be in postseason form, scoring both in the exhibition game and the Tampa Bay contest, he appeared to be benched in the last half of the third period of Washington’s game against Philadelphia. His last shift came with 11:23 left in the third period, when Kuznetsov was caught standing in front of the net for Scott Laughlin’s second goal of the night.

“There is definitely certain areas that we can be better,” Vrana said regarding offensive opportunities. “Use each other a little bit more. We have been creating some chances. They didn’t go in for us so far; definitely we could be more effective. It is just the start for us right now. We getting better, and I know with our group we are going to feel more comfortable and more confidence in the next games coming up here.”

The Capitals’ top two lines, which are the same as on the 2018 Stanley Cup-winning team, have yet to find a rhythm, and the result has been a lack of offensive chances. Additionally, with so many undisciplined penalties at the start of Thursday’s game against the Flyers, the Capitals recorded their first shot nine minutes into the contest. A team that is built on so much offensive firepower has gone flat.

Capitals are sloppy and a step slow in 3-1 loss to Flyers, continuing their bubble struggles

It’s eerily similar to the Capitals’ play shortly before the league’s shutdown, when Washington underachieved. In early March, the Capitals lost to the Flyers in a game with Metropolitan Division ramifications. And in late February, Washington fell to the last-place New Jersey Devils. Five months later, the Capitals’ offense is lacking, and with undisciplined play on both sides of the ice, the team is struggling to create opportunities.

“[In the summer] no one is really playing for real, and then you get out here and it is a lot harder,” T.J. Oshie said Thursday night. “You have to work a lot harder to score goals. You got to work harder to get in position to score goals, and things happen a lot faster. So we definitely need more offense. If not goals then at least chances and momentum from the top six here.”

Despite the Capitals’ recent struggles, many in hockey continue to praise Washington, which has veteran leadership and experience. That group includes Tampa Bay Coach Jon Cooper, who called Washington “outstanding.”

“I thought the Capitals were a sleeping giant [before the pause]. … That is an amazing array of firepower and talent,” NBC analyst Pierre McGuire said earlier in the week. “I think they really do have a legitimate chance. The thing about it is that nobody knows the matchups and nobody knows how everyone is going to respond after the break, which makes it a little bit more difficult. But I think Washington is a legitimate contender, a big-time contender.”

As NHL restarts, injuries force familiar questions of depth

The Capitals have relied on their depth players to produce in the first two round-robin matchups; Richard Panik scored against the Lightning, and Travis Boyd had a third-period goal against the Flyers.

Panik was on a roll before the pause, with his move to the fourth line giving the Capitals a needed boost. He played seven regular season games on the fourth line, where he was bumped after Ilya Kovalchuk arrived in Washington in late February. In that time, he ranked second on the team in points, trailing only Ovechkin.

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