The third period of Tuesday’s game notwithstanding, the Washington Capitals have become a fearsome defensive team this season. In this last entry (for now) of the Twenty Games In series, I’d like to dive deep into Washington’s biggest improvement of 2021-22: the defense.
By Peter Hassett 1 week ago
Before the season began, I identified five storylines I wanted to track this year.
Now, twenty-one games into the season, let’s check the wavelengths on these vibes.
By Peter Hassett 2 weeks ago
The Washington Capitals crossed the twenty-game threshold on Wednesday. That’s a totally arbitrary line I chose to stop me from making absurd judgements about the team before they’ve played many games. But now that the season’s a quarter gone, I figure we can start to draw some conclusions, even if they’re a bit rough.
I have assigned grades to the Caps’ offense, defense, goaltending, and special teams.
I’m going to need the power play to see me after class.
By Peter Hassett 2 weeks ago
We are now twenty games into the 2021-22 season, so it’s time for us to see where we stand. There will be a bunch of nerdy analysis stuff coming up, but I want to start with the most important dimension of Capitals hockey: feelings.
Here now is the executive summary for the first happiness survey of the season. About two thousand respondents scored each Capitals player from 1 to 5, with five meaning that the respondent is very happy that the player is on the team. The results may shock you.
By Peter Hassett 2 weeks ago
The Washington Capitals, riddled with injuries, lost Wednesday’s game in New York. Though a bunch of players missed the game due to injury, the most important guy was there.
Alex Ovechkin played in his 1,108th regular-season hockey game. His career has become special for reasons beyond his demented smile and his absurd goal totals. He is, simply put, the most durable hockey player in the world.
(There really should be a better way to say that. I’ll brainstorm some ideas.)
By Peter Hassett 2 years ago
On October 14, Braden Holtby played one of the worst games in NHL history, allowing three goals on three shots before getting pulled. It was a crummy start to the season for Holtby, and I’d certainly understand why it has led some people to think he’s over the hill. Holtby won the Vezina in 2015-16, but his last two seasons have been pretty spottty. Still, I’d urge caution before concluding that he’s on an irreversible downturn.
In a big, complicated system with lots of inputs, Holtby is just one player. And I think he’s a very good one.
By Peter Hassett 2 years ago
I’ve been taking a different approach to the Twenty Games In series this time around. Instead of checking off the same old boxes (goaltending, special teams, 5v5, etc.), I’ve been analyzing only the qualities of the 2019-20 Washington Capitals that I find most interesting.
Today, I think it’s important that we zoom out as much as possible and see how the team has evolved over the last few seasons. I promise you will like where we have ended up.
By Peter Hassett 2 years ago
I asked Pat what he thinks about the Caps right now. He had already blown off our double date/board-game night this weekend because he’s a Serious And Busy Grown-Up, so all he gave me in response was this barely legible tweet.
jake vrana shooting more than Ovechkin, Leipsic’s offensive confidence and flash, and me wondering when Poti came back every time I see Jensen
— Paddy Holds (@pfholden) November 15, 2019
Still, that’s some good stuff. Let’s talk about that stuff.
By Peter Hassett 2 years ago
After twenty games, the Washington Capitals find themselves in a novel position. For the first time since 2016-17, the Caps appear to have a darn good penalty kill. And you could argue that they’re even underperforming.
By Peter Hassett 2 years ago
The Washington Capitals are two and a half years removed from being one of the best defensive teams in the NHL. A lot has changed between then and now, including, ya know, a Stanley Cup Championship. To win their Cup Washington had to overcome a bunch of defensive problems, which now appear resurgent. If they wish to truly go back-to-back, the Caps will have to solve those problems all over again.
But whether defensive problems are actually the same thing as problems with defensemen is another matter altogether.
By Peter Hassett 3 years ago
