Game 6: 5-2-2-1 (PTS-W-L-OT)
Wednesday October 17, 2018 New York Rangers @ Washington Capitals
Place: Capital One Arena
Time: 7:00 p.m.
TV: NBCSN, TVAS
Radio: 106.7 The Fan, Capitals Radio 24/7
NHL.COM for Live Box Score
Last Game: Sat October 13, Capitals Lost 4-2 against Maple Leafs
Next Game: Fri October 19, 7:00pm Panthers @ Capitals
8-Ovechkin 92-Kuznetsov 18-Stephenson
13-Vrana 19-Bäckström 77-Oshie
65-Burakovsky 20-Eller 10-Connolly
79-Walker 26-Dowd 25-Smith-Pelly
9-Orlov 2-Niskanen
6-Kempny 74-Carlson
44-Orpik 29-Djoos
70-Holtby (starter)
1-Copley
-- SCRATCH --
23-Jaskin
72-Boyd
22-Bowey
-- INJURED RESERVE --
-- SUSPENDED --
43-Wilson (14 games left??)
-- 1st Powerplay Unit --
77-Oshie 19-Bäckström 92-Kuznetsov
8-Ovechkin 74-Carlson
-- 2nd Powerplay Unit --
23-Jaskin 10-Connolly 20-Eller
2-Niskanen 9-Orlov
Referees: Jake Brenk (#26), Trevor Hanson (#14)
Linesmen: Brian Murphy (#93), Pierre Racicot (#65)
1st Period06:09 Rangers GOAL Zibenajad, assists Kreider & Pionk 1-0 NYR
14:05 GOAL 74-Carlson, assist 19-Bäckström 1-1 TIE
2nd Period03:32 PP GOAL 8-Ovechkin, assists 74-Carlson & 10-Connolly 2-1 WSH
12:42 Rangers PP GOAL Vessey, assists Pionk & Howden 2-2 TIE
17:01 PP GOAL 8-Ovechkin, assists 74-Carlson & 19-Bäckström 3-2 WSH
3rd Period10:25 Rangers PP GOAL Kreider, assists Pionk & Zibanejad 3-3 TIE
OT02:18 GOAL 2-Niskanen, assists 92-Kuznetsov & 77-Oshie 4-3 WSH
FINAL: 4-3 WSH
By Isabelle Khurshudyan October 17 at 12:58 PM
Capitals are second-worst faceoffs team in NHL. Does it matter?Pregame notes
Washington Capitals center Nicklas Backstrom (19) has won 50 percent of his faceoffs through the first five games of the season. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Practice was winding down when Capitals Coach Todd Reirden gathered players around the faceoff circle. The team organized into its typical forward lines, and one trio lined up against another. When Evgeny Kuznetsov won a draw, he and wingers Alex Ovechkin celebrated with hooting and hugs. Center Nic Dowd predictably snapped a couple back. Then defenseman Brooks Orpik stepped into the circle and won twice as his teammates roared after each one.
It was a fun turn to a serious deficiency for the Capitals. In the small sample size of five games, they’re the second-worst team on faceoffs in the league with a 43.8 percentage. Washington won 50.4 percent of draws last season, which ranked 13th.
Within the hockey community there’s some debate that the importance of faceoffs is overstated — though an individual draw in a key situation could certainly affect the outcome of a game.
“Certainly there definitely are a lot of different importance levels on different faceoffs, especially the zone and the time of the game, what the score is and all those type of things,” Reirden said. “I think that’s something that’s discussed in our room and a lot of times before the guys go out to take a draw, a few guys on the bench, coaches or players might say, Need this draw, big draw' — different things like that. It’s something that for the most part the players understand and a neutral zone faceoff with 14 minutes to go in the first period is not nearly as important as one that’s five-on-six at the end of the game. We all know that. It’s important to put the right people on those situations and give them the best chance to have success.”
[Devante Smith-Pelly looks to carry over offensive productivity from breakout Stanley Cup run]
The Capitals had a faceoff weapon in Jay Beagle last season, who was consistently one of the league’s best centers in the dot and was often deployed with other lines just so he could take a key draw and then get off the ice. But Beagle signed with Vancouver in free agency, and now center Nicklas Backstrom leads Washington with a 50 percent rate on faceoffs, including an impressive 62.1 percent success rate in the defensive zone. Kuznetsov, who’s taken the second-most draws to start the season, has a 35.8 percentage. As a team, the Capitals are poor at power-play draws (42.4 percent) but among the best in the NHL when shorthanded (54.5 percent).
“I think any chance that a skill team like our team could have the puck, we want to have it,” Reirden said.
“I think sometimes it can be a little overrated, to be honest with you," center Lars Eller said. "Obviously offensive zone and defensive zone are to an extent more important than a neutral zone faceoff, I think. But in key situations, on power plays, very important. You start with the puck instead of going back, and you lose 30 seconds sometimes. Certain situations are more important than others, but it’s always good to start with the puck for sure.”
Reirden emphasized that winning a faceoff goes beyond the centers, that’s it’s often on the wingers to win that puck battle. Washington has scored just one even-strength goal in the past two games, so perhaps starting with the puck more would help spark the offense.
“I think we wingers could do some hold-ups a little bit better — hold their guys on their side and be on the right side and not let them through easy,” Andre Burakovsky said. “I think right now we’re just letting them through easy and get to second pucks. I think a lot of times our centers are doing a good job tying up sticks and then it’s our job to get in there and win the puck. We haven’t really done that.”
Nathan Walker draws back into lineup
With the Capitals on a two-game losing streak entering Wednesday night’s game against the New York Rangers, Reirden opted for a minor lineup change. Dmitrij Jaskin, claimed off waivers just before the season, will be replaced by Nathan Walker, who’s been a healthy scratch for the past three games. Reirden said the decision related to the approach he wants his team to take with the Rangers playing the second game in two nights.
“It’s just a different look,” Reirden said. “A team that’s on a back-to-back, we wanted to really come at them with some speed and tenacity and intensity that we know we always get from Nathan. ... Jaskin will sit this one out and get a view of how things are going now that he’s played our system a couple games.”
Sergei Shumakov injured
The Capitals' American Hockey League affiliate, the Hershey Bears, are off to a miserable 0-5-0 start. And in more bad news, winger Sergei Shumakov, whom Washington signed early last month, appear to have injured his right wrist. Shumakov scored 17 goals in Russia’s Kontinental Hockey League last season, and he scored two goals in the Bears' first five games.
Read more on the Capitals:The Caps think Evgeny Kuznetsov is one of the NHL’s best, but he just wants to have funCapitals mailbag: Can suspended forward Tom Wilson change his game?Maple Leafs’ Auston Matthews embracing the spotlight on and off the ice
