Nashville Moon – The Caps are in Nashville on this mid-December Saturday night, taking on one of the League’s hottest teams in the middle match of a three-game road trip, and the front end of a set of back-to-backs. The Caps head east immediately after this one; they’ll conclude the journey against the Hurricanes in Raleigh on Sunday evening.
Washington dropped the opener of the trip, falling 4-3 to the Flyers in Philadelphia in the shootout on Thursday night. Caps’ center Evgeny Kuznetsov missed that game because of illness, but after participating in a Friday afternoon practice here and in Saturday’s morning skate, he appears to be good to go for tonight against the Predators, who won a 6-5 overtime decision from the Canes in Raleigh on Friday night.
“He’s feeling a lot better and skated yesterday, so he’ll go into the lineup tonight,” says Caps’ coach Spencer Carbery of Kuznetsov.
Washington has swept each of its last three sets of back-to-backs, a rare feat it has achieved only twice now in the last three decades. The Caps have helped themselves in most of their back-to-backs by being disciplined in the front game of the set, so the coaching staff is able to adequately manage players’ workloads to keep them relatively fresh for the back half.
“That’s helped, no question, the minutes and being able to share that,” says Carbery. “I think the more important role is the overall mental fortitude of our group, of understanding what we need to do in these situations here. We don’t even look at Raleigh, we don’t look at the travel plan, we don’t even look at Carolina.
“Everything is focused on tonight against a team that’s been playing real well. It’s a difficult building to play in, and we’re cleaning some things up from our structure, and things inside of our game that we need to do a better job of from the Philadelphia game. We’re focused on really getting our game back in check, and playing up to our standard tonight.”
All Rise – Over the last three plus decades, the Caps have been consistently strong at getting offense from their defense. Back in 1992-93, they became the only team in NHL history to have three defensemen with 20 or more goals in a season, and they averaged 3.14 points per game from their blueline that season.
Thus far in 2023-24, Washington’s blueline brigade has not had much of a hand in the team’s scoring, but the team collectively hasn’t been scoring as much, either. The Caps have gradually climbed to 30th in the League in scoring, with an average of 2.5 goals per game, but only two of their 65 goals to date have come from defensemen.
For the first time since 2015-16, the Caps’ blueline corps is averaging less than two points per game this season. Washington’s blueliners are averaging 1.46 points per game, and the team’s total of 38 points (two goals, 36 assists) is last in the NHL, and less than half of what League-leading Vancouver (15 goals, 76 assists, 91 points) has received in offensive support from its back end; the Canucks have played 30 games to Washington’s 26.
“It’s been a topic of conversation, from an individual standpoint, and a skills [skills coach] Kenny McCudden standpoint,” said Carbery, a week ago. “How do we change our shot angles? How do we get more shots through? And then also, from a structural standpoint of what we’re doing at 5-on-5, and how we can get more production there.
“Is there one simple answer to it? I don’t think there is, but we are looking for ways. I think what you’re seeing in the League and where you’re trying to generate off the rush, for sure then our [defensemen] being that second wave, so the fourth and fifth guys into the rush. Can we find them to get them into scoring situations? And then, in then offensive zone – whether it’s them activating down – if you look at most goals in the League from the [defense], it’s usually something from the point that finds its way through and ends up in the back of the net.
“There’s two parts to it, the way that I look at it. One is the ability to get the shot through, but also your net front [presence]. And that plays a large part in whether that [defenseman] is able to find a sifter goal. That’s where I put a little on our forwards as well, to help our [defense] out in being able to generate productive shots from the point. It’s doing a good job so that a couple of those pucks end up in the back of the net.”
Since Carbery made those comments, things have taken a slight turn in a northerly direction. In their last four games, the Caps have received seven points worth of offensive support – all in the form of assists – from the blueline. A couple of the primary helpers have been notable; Martin Fehervary made an excellent play to set up Sonny Milano’s game-opening goal in the first minute of a 4-0 win over the Rangers a week ago tonight, and Joel Edmundson made an excellent feed to Dylan Strome for a goal on the forecheck a night later in Chicago.
But perhaps more encouraging is that all six Washington defensemen have picked up at least a point in the team’s last four games. A stretch such as this wouldn’t have moved the needle much for most recent vintage Caps teams, but it’s a promising sign from this group of six, which is adjusting to a new coach and a new system and structure, and which has also played just nine games together as a collective.
“For the [defense], like the forwards, the message and the mentality offensively this year has shifted the last three years,” says Caps’ winger T.J. Oshie. “Especially, our [offensive] zone positioning and spacing is a lot different than what we did. Before, it was two [defensemen] who were more widely spaced, and then getting very active and going down the wall, and everyone is all over the place.
“Whereas now, we’re kind of sitting in these little pockets of space, and our [defensemen] are getting more comfortable with that, whether it’s a [defenseman] to the middle, or a forward in the middle with the two [defensemen] on the flanks, which you would have seen in Marty’s pass. He’s over on the side, and Sonny finds space. Even the one from Eddie, same thing. They’re starting to go to these spaces that Carbs has found gives us more support and more areas to open up certain types of defensive coverages.
“So just like the forwards have had to adapt to some different stuff, our [defensemen] have had to adapt, too. And I feel like they’ve done a great job of doing that.”
They do seem to be trending in the right direction. Thus far this season, the Caps are getting a goal a month from the blueline, and they’re still waiting for December’s present under the tree. John Carlson scored in Ottawa on Oct. 18 and Alex Alexeyev scored on Nov. 22 against Buffalo.
“Good offense is good defense,” says Caps’ defenseman Rasmus Sandin. “Offense comes from good defense, and for most of the season – but not the whole season – I think we’ve played pretty good defensively, but the goals haven’t come. We’ve been spending a little too much time in our own zone, but I think we’re starting to find a way to get out of it in a better way, and to spend more time in the [offensive] zone making plays, and obviously scoring more goals. It’s very important for us.”
Washington’s current rate of offense from the defense is its lowest since its very first season in the NHL (a mere .83 points per game in 1974-75), but most of the six blueliners are capable of contributing more, and they’re likely to do so as the season wears on.
“I think it’s starting to shape into form here,” echoes Caps’ blueliner Trevor van Riemsdyk. “I think we’re doing good things. Obviously getting [Edmundson] back from injury is great, and obviously he’s got to build a little chemistry; not only is he coming off injury, but he’s the new guy on the team. But he’s a great player, so that should take pretty good. We’ve done a pretty good job this last little stretch of limiting opponents’ chances and trying to improve on the offensive end.”
Living In The USA – Congratulations are in order for Caps’ prospects Ryan Chesley and Ryan Leonard, both of whom were named to the 2024 U.S. National Junior Team on Saturday. Chesley was Washington’s second-round pick (37th overall) in the 2022 NHL Draft and Leonard was its first-round choice (eighth overall) in this past summer’s 2023 NHL Draft here in Nashville.
Chesley is a sophomore at U. of Minnesota, where he has collected six points (two goals, four assists) and has a team-leading plus-9 rating in 18 games this season.
Leonard is in his freshman season at Boston College, where he has amassed 18 points (10 goals, eight assists) in 17 games in 2023-24. He is tied for the Eagles’ team lead at plus-8, and he is second in goals and shots (66) and fourth in scoring.
Both Chesley and Leonard are products of USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program, where they were teammates on the U-18 team in 2021-22. Chesley skated for Team USA in last year’s World Junior Championship, bringing home a bronze medal. Leonard won gold with Team USA at the 2023 U-18 World Championships, scoring the game-winning goal in overtime against Sweden to help deliver those gold medals, USA’s first in that tournament since 2017.
The 2024 IIHF World Junior Championship will be held in Gothenburg, Sweden from Dec. 23, 2023 to Jan. 5, 2024.
In The Nets – Charlie Lindgren gets the start in net tonight for Washington, his 11th start in the Caps’ 27 games this season. Lindgren is 6-1-2 in his last nine starts; most recently he stopped 29 of 32 shots in Thursday’s 4-3 shootout loss to the Flyers in Philly.
“We just feel like Charlie has been on a really good run, and he deserves the opportunity to start a little bit more,” says Carbery. “I know that comes at [Darcy Kuemper’s] expense, and we know what Kuemps is capable of doing, and he’ll get back in the net [Sunday in Carolina].
“But Chucky has been on a real good run, so it’s more of a reflection and rewarding Charlie for how well he has played early in the year.”
Lindgren is 0-1-0 in his lone career appearance against the Preds; he stopped 18 of 21 shots in his lone previous start against Nashville.
Kevin Lankinen started and went the distance in Friday’s win in Raleigh, so the Caps are likely to see Juuse Saros on Saturday night in Music City. Saros has notched 13 of Nashville’s 17 victories this season, and he has won each of his last five starts and nine of his last 10 decisions.
Lifetime against Washington, he is 4-3-0 with a 2.89 GAA and a .907 save pct. in seven appearances (all starts).
All Lined Up – Here is how we believe the Capitals and Predators might look when they take the ice on Saturday night in Nashville:
WASHINGTON
Forwards
8-Ovechkin, 17-Strome, 43-Wilson
21-Protas, 24-McMichael, 39-Mantha
91-Snively, 92-Kuznetsov, 77-Oshie
47-Malenstyn, 26-Dowd, 96-Aube-Kubel
Defensemen
42-Fehervary, 74-Carlson
38-Sandin, 57-van Riemsdyk
6-Edmundson, 3-Jensen
Goaltenders
79-Lindgren
35-Kuemper
Injured
15-Milano (upper body)
19-Backstrom (lower body)
67-Pacioretty (torn Achilles’ tendon)
Scratches
27-Alexeyev
45-Phillips
46-Johansen
NASHVILLE
Forwards
9-Forsberg, 90-O’Reilly, 14-Nyquist
75-Parssinen, 82-Novak, 77-Evangelista
13-Trenin, 8-Glass, 10-Sissons
36-Smith, 47-McCarron, 26-Tomasino
Defensemen
27-McDonagh, 59-Josi
3-Lauzon, 45-Carrier
22-Barrie, 2-Schenn
Goaltenders
74-Saros
32-Lankinen
Injured
44-Sherwood (upper body)
Scratches
57-Fabbro
