The motion picture you are about to witness may startle you. It would not have been possible, otherwise, to sufficiently emphasize the frightful toll of the new drug menace which is destroying the youth of America in alarmingly increasing number: Zyrtec.
Okay, Let’s talk about Nick Backstrom.
By the Numbers
| 82 | Games played |
| 19.3 | Average time on ice per game |
| 18 | Goals |
| 61 | Assists |
| 49.3% | Shot attempt percentage during 5v5 |
| 42.3% | Goal percentage during 5v5 |
| 7.2% | On-ice shooting percentage during 5v5 |
| 91.2% | On-ice saving percentage during 5v5 |
Peter’s Take
Nick Backstrom is a rock. Aside from that head injury two seasons ago, Nicky has been Washington’s most dependable forward: playing every game this season and– for the most part– tilting the ice in the Caps’ advantage. But 2013-14 was the first season in which Backstrom was on ice for more opponent shots than Caps shots during even strength. If we’re to believe he is personally in decline, we’d have to dismiss the nearly uniform fall-off other players saw under the Oates administration. Something tells me Backstrom has more brightness ahead.
Still, it’s hard to deny that Backstrom’s utility as Alex Ovechkin‘s set-up man isn’t what it used to be. The Caps owned exactly half of the 5v5 shot attempts when Ovi and Backstrom played together this season– their lowest combined share since forever. They still play better together than apart (which you’d think would be obvious), but if Backstrom’s success is measured in Ovechkin’s 5v5 goal total, uh oh. One imagines Ovi’s perfect linemate as a guy who carries the puck through neutral and gets him that little bit of space he needs to execute. Is that guy still Nicky? I hope so, but I wonder.
Nicky on RMNB
- Backstrom chaperoned Troy Brouwer’s coaster all the way into the empty net. Brouwer called it “most unselfish thing [he’s] ever seen in hockey.”
- Let’s just get this out of the way: Nick got suspended from the Olympic gold-medal game for taking allergy medicine. He eventually got his silver. I’m over it.
- On facing Ovechkin in Sochi: “He’ll crush me, definitely.”
- Nick is gonna skip Worlds. You cool with it? I’m cool with it.
- The rink in Nicky’s hometown is named after him. It’s called Nickback. That I am not cool with.
In Pictures
Maybe Backstrom’s prettiest move of the season.
Hey, remember when Nick got suspended from the playoffs for a crosscheck to the face? I hope it’s not a pattern.
And here’s the GIF of the season until I change my mind:
Your Turn
What did you make of Nicky’s season? Should he continue to be The Guy Behind The Guy? Got any good Zyrtec jokes?
Read more: Japers Rink
