State of the Arena

While most of the Nation was focused on the House Chamber and President Obama last night, Capital fans were watching their DC hockey team put a bow on one of their most impressive wins of the season, a 5-3 win over the defending Stanley Cup Champion Boston Bruins. In light of both the Presient's State of the Union and the unofficial halfway point of the NHL season, it seemed the opportune time examine where the Capitals current stand. Much like Obama last night, let's take a look at a few of the key issues of the 1st half, mainly where they currently stand, the Captain, and the Coach.

The Basics

The Capitals enter the break with a mark of 26-19-3, good for a tie for 1st in the Southeast. Their 18-6-1 mark at Verizon Center is tops in the East and their 136 goals scored are good for 6th in the conference. That's the good. The bad is that their 55 total points put them in a 4 way logjam and if the tie breakers broke differently, the Capitals would be on the outside looking in regarding the playoff picture. And while home ice has been good to the Capitals, the road has been nothing short of ugly, as their 8 road wins puts them in the bottom 3 in the East, which does not bode well for team that easily could be in the 8 playoff spot if the season's end was near. Couple that with the 137 goals allowed, good for a -1 goal differential, and despite what the standings current say, the Capitals are currently not a team fit to compete for the prize. But the good thing is, the end is not too near.

Ovechkin

For The foreseeable future, the success of the Washington Capitals is tied to the success of Alexander Ovechkin, who currently is mired in a slump that some would say has lasted 2 season. Gone are the days of 65 goals, but the Capitals still put one of the Top 10 offensive threats on the ice every night, which is never a bad thing. But threats are only good for as long as they are valid, and Ovechkin is flirting with that line. While he has come on of the late, Ovechkin does not strike the fear into opponents that he once did and does not deliver when the Capitals needs him the most as he once did. Everyone knows his moves and his slips and shanks seem to occur with more regularity than they once did. Combine all those things with a new system, a suspension that he reacted far too casual to, and his team on the cusp of the playoffs in what many see as an all in season and the next half a season might well be the most important of his career.

Dale Hunter

Bruce Boudreau was the scapegoat for the Capitals poor start, particularly on the road. Plain and simple. He lost the room, but that is more about the players and leadership than the coach. Enter Hunter, one of the most popular Capitals of all time and former coach of the incredibly successful London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League. Since his arrival the Capitals have taken on the personality of their sandpaper coach and have become a more defensive minded and tough team to play against. What Hunter now needs to do is figure out how to get the offensive back. That seems to be the fatal flaw with this team, they cannot do it all, something necessary to lift the Cup in June. The question moving forward will be how Hunter can fully implement his capitalize on mistakes offense or if that philosophy will even work at the NHL level. Because less than 20 shots a night will not get it done. The Capitals are now capable of playing the defense necessary to win in May under Hunter's new system. The question is whether the offenseive philosophy is fatally flawed.

What's Next?

Adversity is suppose to be the best teacher. That mantra is getting old in DC. Most believe the Capitals are going in the right direction under the new coaching regime and that the roster is built for a playoff run. With that said, something needs to change, and here are some ideas

1. Trade Alex Semin. It is time to pull the trigger. Semin does not fit the new philosophy. A smooth skating dangler does not fit with a defense cycle team that waits for turnovers. A deal out West for a hard working winger or a second line center would go a long way to improve this team in the short and long term, as Evgeny Kuznetsov is ready and waiting in Russia.
2. Force Fix 8. Ovechkin has proven he cannot come up with a new 1 on 1 move. So take that off the board. Run the offense to OV not through him. At least point Ovechkin's shot is his best asset. Get the goalie and defense moving and get the puck to him to shoot, rather than letting him streak down the left wing.
3. Alter the offensive philosophy. The defense will be fine as long as the goaltending becomes more consistent, which has seemed to be the case recently. Time to become a little more aggressive with the offensive. And the two biggest issues are puck possession and shots. Possessions are not long enough because the defense retreats too early and does not hold the blue line which takes away shots. There just simply are not enough mistakes in the NHL for the offense to be completely supported by the opprtunistic nature of the Hunter offense. That coupled with the momentary lapses that have plagued the Capitals early on the road make a more aggressive approach that much more important as teams that do not shoot and create enough offense cannot win on the road when they get behind.


Just my two sense. I am no expert. On to the second half!