Last season was extremely underwhelming for Capitals fans as they saw the team just miss out on a playoff appearance with a 38-30-14 record (90 pts). While they didn’t miss the playoffs by a large margin, the management and coaching staffs were overhauled to get a new set of eyes on the team.
The team brought in a couple of defensive free agents that have been described as “polarizing”. With the team going through this revamp, how will they react this season?
Quick Analysis
This is Alex Ovechkin’s team without a doubt. Ovechkin once again scored 50+ goals but had a poor +/- causing many across the NHL to doubt his talents. Friend of the blog Adam Gretz put that idea to rest though in his article with SB Nation clearly showing that his On-Ice Save % was the lowest he has ever had, causing a poor +/-. It looks as if they will be rolling with a couple of talented rookies in their lineup, enough to give anyone a reason to pause. Brooks Orpik and Matt Niskanen bring an interesting dynamic but how are they going to be used on a Barry Trotz coached team?
Projected Lineups
Ovechkin-Backstrom-Fehr
Johansson-Burakovsky-Brouwer
Chimera-Laich-Ward
O’Brien-Kuznetsov-Brown
Orpik-Carlson
Alzner-Niskanen
Hillen-Schmidt
Lines courtesy of Daily Faceoff
Starting off the season slightly undermanned, the Capitals will look to get ahead quickly and early. The defense leaves something to be desired under its current format. The talent on the third and fourth line is depth the Capitals haven’t had in years past, a good problem to have.
Players to watch
Evgeny Kuznetsov: Having recently signed a contract last season, he played seventeen games for the team providing them nine points. A choice by many for the Calder, he has the opportunity to breakout in a big way in the wide open Metro Division.
Brooks Orpik: Many in the advanced stats community have written off this signing as one of the worst of the offseason. He was a possession blackhole in Pittsburgh, a change of scenery for the aging defenseman may cure what ails him. Either way he will play a big part in the Capitals short term plans.
Alexander Ovechkin: Doesn’t matter what he does on or off the ice, Ovechkin will always be a topic of conversation. Playing on the left wing this year could prove to be very successful for the Russian born winger, as most of his goals do come from that left side. Hopefully playing with better teammates this year will silence the critics and allow him to achieve a new level of stardom.
2013-14 head to head matchup
Game 1: Sat Oct 19 2013, @ Verizon Center: CBJ (1) – WSH (4)
Game 2: Tues Nov 12 2013, @ Verizon Center: CBJ (3) – WSH (4) OT
Game 3: Fri January 17 2014, Nationwide Arena: WSH (1) – CBJ (5)
Game 4: Thurs January 30 2014, Nationwide Arena: WSH (2) – CBJ (5)
2014-15 Schedule against CBJ
Nov 11 2014 @ Verizon Center
Dec 11 2014 @ Verizon Center
Dec 18 2014 @ Nationwide Arena
Jan 27 2015 @ Nationwide Arena
Mar 3 2015 @ Nationwide Arena
Buckeye State Hockey Staff Predictions
We selected the Capitals to be sixth in the division. After a weighted vote including all of our writers we came to this conclusion. Oddly enough, every single writer selected the Capitals to be in sixth place, the only unanimous selection in our Metro rankings. This team, while talented, is one of the most difficult to pin down. If the rookies and defensemen assimilate quickly, this team has a chance to move up the Metro standings in short order.
Capitals Blogs and People to Follow
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