It is no secret that the Caps’ power play is sputtering as of late. They have been subpar all season long, scoring on 14.8 percent of power plays and currently ranked 23rd in the NHL. They finished last year ranked fifth with a 21.9 percent power play.

The question is why. Peter painted a convincing picture naming Alex Ovechkin the key to the Caps’ power-play effectiveness. The power play unit started to do well when Ovechkin joined the Caps, and aside from a couple down years, it have always been top notch with Ovechkin.

What has changed?

The Caps power play as a whole has not seen a significant dip in shots. In fact, they have increased their shot attempts and unblocked shot attempts from last season. A look at Ovechkin’s individual numbers on the power play is troubling, though.

He simply hasn’t been getting shots off, and if Ovechkin is the key to the Caps power play, this could be the reason why it has struggled.

Why did it change?

Ovechkin is shooting less because he is getting the puck less. Opposing teams’ penalty kills are set up to stop the 1-3-1, specifically the one-timer opportunity.

Sure, there were power play set ups that looked like the 1-3-1 before the Caps used the “new” configuration to crush penalty kills league wide. The umbrella power play features three players up top like the 1-3-1. The overload features a man in the slot, a man in the corner, and a man on the half-wall. But none of those formations placed the game’s best shooter in prime shooting position with enough options elsewhere to keep penalty kills busy.

None of the copycats have been able to do that either. It seems as though more than half the league use a version of the 1-3-1 nowadays and yet power play goals and percentages are not up. Worse is that with so many copycats, penalty kills no longer treat the 1-3-1 as a minority tactic that they might have to game plan around every once in a while.

Penalty kills must take the 1-3-1 seriously night in and night out. Every team has a plan to stop the Capitals power play, because they must do it so often against other teams. Let’s take a look at how.

Isles vs. Caps – Dec. 1

The Islanders take a two-pronged approach. The top forward goes hard at the point with his stick in the passing lane to Ovechkin. The Ovechkin-side defenseman challenges straight at Ovechkin.

Caps vs. Bolts – Dec. 3

The Lightning use the top forwards to stop the pass. The strong-side forward challenges the point man and the Ovechkin-side forward gets in the passing lane.

Bruins vs. Caps – Dec. 7

The Bruins use a similar tactic to the Lightning. The Ovechkin-side forward takes the pass away. The strong-side forward pressures hard at the point.

Two things are evident when watching those set ups. The pass to Ovechkin is largely taken away in his current positioning, and he rarely changes that. He is easy to cover. Sure, he will slide down when the puck is in the corner under control, and that has worked for a couple goals over the years. But that also allows the penalty kill to shrink, covering both passing options quite easily.

What can change

Let’s take a look at what happens when the puck goes into the corner under control.

The penalty kill shrinks, limiting passing options everywhere. Ovechkin is in shooting position back-door but the puck must get by three Leafs to reach him.

When we look at this and take into account how teams are defending the Ovi shot from the Ovi spot, the best option for the Caps would be for Ovechkin to anticipate the eventual movement of the puck and move back toward the point.

By putting himself in better shooting position before the pass gets to Carlson or Niskanen at the point, he will force the penalty kill to either leave their positioning before the threat is neutralized down low or force the player covering the Ovi shot from the Ovi spot to travel further. Both would be advantageous to the Caps.

If Ovechkin is a little higher in the zone, the Ovechkin-side forward must make a decision between continuing to cover Ovechkin or staying in the center to be in position to cover the slot man if the puck moves down low. In the current positioning, he can be within a couple feet of both. If that changes, it will open things up in the center of the ice or for Ovechkin.

In a world where an Ovi shot from the Ovi spot is key to the power play, the Capitals must find ways to get him more shots. That could begin and end with Ovechkin moving away from the net.

Stats via Corsica

Headline photo: Patrick Smith