Nicklas Backstrom led the Washington Capitals in points and assists this season, and yet his linemates tend to score a lot more when they’re with The Other Guy.
By the Numbers
| 55 | games played |
| 18.6 | time on ice per game |
| 15 | goals |
| 38 | assists |
| 50.7 | 5-on-5 shot-attempt percentage, adjusted |
| 50.6 | 5-on-5 expected goal percentage, adjusted |
| 61.2 | 5-on-5 goal percentage, adjusted |
Visualization by HockeyViz
About this visualization: This series of charts made by Micah Blake McCurdy of hockeyviz.com shows lots of information for the player over the season. A short description of each chart:
- Most common teammates during 5-on-5
- Ice time per game, split up by game state
- 5-on-5 adjusted shot attempts by the team (black) and opponents (red)
- 5-on-5 adjusted shooting percentage by the team (black) and opponents (red)
- Individual scoring events by the player
- 5-on-5 adjusted offensive (black) and defensive (red) zone starts
Fan Happiness Survey
About this visualization: At three times during the season (end of January, end of March, and end of May), RMNB shared an open survey with fans, asking the following question for each player:
On a scale from 1 to 5, how HAPPY are you to have this player on the team?
1 means VERY UNHAPPY TO HAVE THEM ON THE TEAM
2 means UNHAPPY
3 means NEITHER HAPPY NOR UNHAPPY
4 means HAPPY
5 means VERY HAPPY TO HAVE THEM ON THE TEAM
The numbers above show the average score for the player in each survey period.
Peter’s Take
For the second season in a row, Nicklas Backstrom recorded 0.69 assists per game. Nice. That puts him around 15th in the league (forwards with 400 minutes, all situations) — still elite territory for this 33-year-old, somewhat hobbled stud. He led the Caps in assists and points, and placed a surprise third in goals after a red-hot start.
Those dashboard stats make Backstrom seem like an offensive dynamo, but that’s not really the case. The Caps attempted 51 shots per hour when he was on the ice and generated 1.9 expected goals– both career-lows for Backstrom, and both virtually even with how opponents fared in those samples (Caps possessed 50.0 percent of shot attempts, 50.3 percent of xG).
Worse, the compressed schedule took its toll on Backstrom. He hit the wall late in the season and got hobbled with a lower-body injury that visibly impacted his postseason performance.
It’s impossible to think about Backstrom without comparing him to Evgeny Kuznetsov. Washington’s centerpiece, Alex Ovechkin gets his goal rate roughly cut in half when he was paired with Backstrom instead of Kuznetsov, with underlying rates like shot attempts dropping 25 percent and others, like high-danger chances falling off a cliff like 75 percent. The same effect happened with TJ Oshie, though Tom Wilson seemed to do noticeably better with Backstrom.
So as much as Backstrom feels like the heart of this team, I worry about him too. Washington needs a center who can activate Ovechkin, and I’m not sure that’s Nicky anymore. I don’t think it’s the other guy either, but we’ll talk about that on Friday, June 18.
Nicke on RMNB
- Backstrom had a lower-body injury at the end of the regular season.
- On the start of the loffs: “Only positive vibes.”
- On the end of the loffs: “There’s not a person in the room who isn’t disappointed.” Double negative, but still.
- On Ovi’s next deal: “I can assure you Ovi will stay.” He has offered to negotiate on Ovi’s behalf for .5 percent.
- A collection of fun and nice quotes from people in honor of Nicky’s 1000th game.
- In March, Backstrom notched his 700th assist.
- It was an odd season for Nicky, with him leading the team in goals for a while. This season he became the fourth Caps player ever to scored 250.
- He’s seen things. That was after he got a black eye.
- Technically you’re not supposed to score from here but whatevs.
- Holding Jake’s hand.
Your Turn
Can Backstrom get his offensive touch back? If not, how do you use him with (or without) Ovechkin?
Read more: Japers Rink
