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Barry Trotz takes blame for Alex Ovechkin’s low ice time in Game Three

By Ian Oland

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April 18, 2017 4:24 pm

After the Capitals 4-3 overtime to the loss to the Leafs Tuesday night, Caps Head Coach Barry Trotz was criticized by fans and analysts alike for giving superstar Alex Ovechkin his fifth-lowest ice time of the season, according to Hockey Reference. Ovechkin’s 15:08 was only 2:01 second more than fourth-line winger Tom Wilson.

“Mike Babcock controlled the line changes,” CSN Mid-Atlantic’s Alan May said during Caps Extra. “All game long, he was changing the Caps bench. I see Alexander Ovechkin with just 15 minutes of ice time tonight. Not enough. I don’t care if you are playing for overtime. This is your best player, supposedly you were saving him for the playoffs. Put him on the ice.”

Tuesday afternoon, after the team’s optional skate, Trotz met with the media and took blame for his decision.

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“That’s on me to get him the ice time,” Trotz said. “Sometimes, that’s situational. Sometimes, that’s the zone starts. So his minutes should be — I can get those up. Sometimes, you have a bump-up lines you’re killing penalty killers’ minutes and that’s Backstrom and Oshie. You sort of miss a rep or two here or there.”

“But it wasn’t based on play,” Trotz added. “I thought Ovi was playing terrific, and it’s on me to get him a little more ice time, no question.”

In the game, Ovechkin scored a goal and led the team in shots (5). He also finished second on the team in hits (4) and third in blocked shots (2).

“There’s rhythms in a game,” Trotz said. “There’s rhythms in a game where Matthews is coming out. He’s going to be in the offensive zone may be a Beagle start. You try to get them offensive zone starts – just as [Babcock] does with the Matthews’ line. We have you to get a few more offensive starts too.”

Trotz’s decision making appears even more curious after reading Jason Brough’s detailed analysis of Ovechkin’s ice time.

From NBC Sports:

Ovechkin logged 2:28 on the power play in Game 3, much of it on a failed 5-on-3 early in the second period. That meant he only got 12:40 at even strength, the seventh-most among the 12 Caps forwards.

There was a 10-minute stretch in the third period, when the game was tied 3-3, when Ovechkin barely played at all. That was partly due to a couple of Washington penalties, but the coach could have found a way to get him out there more.

In the aftermath of the difficult loss, the team’s second in three games, Trotz believes the players are handling it as professionals.

“I think they’re fine,” Trotz said. “They’re reacting as true pros. They realize a bounce here, a bounce there, the series could be in our favor. But it hasn’t gone that way. This team is pretty mentally tough. Mental toughness is a daily sort of act if you’re going to be in a series.”

“It’s all about the will – it’s about who wants it more,” Trotz concluded. “It’s all about who wants it more, wins it.”

Other notes from practice:

– Barry Trotz announced that Karl Alzner will not play in Game Four, but did not specify if it was an injury that was keeping his defenseman out.

“He’s out right now and he won’t play tomorrow,” Trotz said, choosing his words carefully.

– After the Caps loss Tuesday night, several readers sent us their ideas about how they thought Barry Trotz should run practice Tuesday in Toronto. Realizing that a Game Four loss to the Leafs could lead to another heartbreaking moment for the Caps franchise, readers sent us GIFs and videos from the movie Miracle where Herb Brooks, played by Kurt Russell, skates his team into the ground until they understand the magnitude of the moment they’re in.

Tuesday’s practice in Toronto did not go that way. The Capitals hosted an optional skate where nine players participated: Braden Holtby, Philipp Grubauer, Kevin Shattenkirk, Tom Wilson, Andre Burakovsky, Daniel Winnik, Nate Schmidt, Paul Carey, and Taylor Chorney.

– Nate Schmidt made a very good joke about the Auston Matthews goal last night.

– Several players spoke after practice.

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