Caps Start '16-17 Season vs. Pens in Pittsburgh
Just over five months ago, the Caps' '15-16 season ended in Pittsburgh. They'll start anew in the same place on Thursday, facing the Cup champs.
© Gregory Shamus
By
Mike Vogel
WashingtonCaps.com
Just over five months ago, the Washington Capitals' bid for their first Stanley Cup came to a halt in Pittsburgh when the Caps lost Game 6 of their second round series against the Penguins in overtime. On Thursday night, the Caps will be on hand to watch the Pens celebrate their own Stanley Cup championship, and immediately afterwards the two teams will clash in the 2016-17 regular season opener.
After winning the first game of that best-of-seven series on T.J. Oshie's overtime game-winner last spring, the Caps dropped four of the next five. All four losses came by a single goal, and two of them came in overtime.
"I don't think we played bad," says Caps captain Alex Ovechkin. "Every game was a close game. We lost a couple games in overtime. If you look back, sometimes you're missing something but you can't see what you're missing. I don't think we were missing a lot. We didn't get it done last year, so we want to continue to improve and hope this year is going to be our year."
The Caps and Penguins both figure to be among the elite in both the Eastern Conference and the Metropolitan Division this season. The Capitals are returning both of their 2015-16 goaltenders, all seven of their defensemen from last season, and each of their top seven forwards.
The carryover continuity and familiarity should be a positive for the Capitals heading into the 2016-17 season.
"It really helps," says Washington defenseman Karl Alzner. "You can just see that we can mix and match whoever we want with each other. That is something that's really nice. We're all so set in the system, we're all so set with how each other plays, that we just go out there and play without really thinking."
In assessing last season and the Caps' ouster at the hands of the Penguins in the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs, Caps general manager Brian MacLellan decided his team needed more scoring punch in its bottom six. Washington's secondary scoring dried up in that series against the Penguins, and a timely goal here or there might have scripted a different outcome in a game or two of that series.
"I think everybody in our organization feels that we were really close to getting by Pittsburgh and competing for the championship," says MacLellan.
"You evaluate your team at the end and [ask yourself], 'What can we do to make it better? What was the fault? Why didn't we get past Pittsburgh?' We made a couple decisions that we didn't have enough depth, and we wanted to work on our depth and get a better bottom six, and I think we accomplished it this year."
Among the few new faces are center Lars Eller, obtained from Montreal on draft day 2016 to fill the middle of Washington's third line, and winger Brett Connolly, signed as a free agent in the offseason. Eller showed some offensive ability during the exhibition season, and he figures to help boost the Caps' bottom six scoring output. Connolly is on a one-year deal and is seeking to flash the form that made him the sixth overall pick in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft.
Training camp's biggest revelation was the play of Zach Sanford, who made the opening night roster as a 21-year-old first-year pro. Sanford was a sophomore at Boston College at this time last season.
A center by trade, Sanford played both wing and center in his two seasons at Boston College. He played both positions for Washington during the exhibition season, and was successful at both spots. But with Nicklas Backstrom, Evgeny Kuznetsov, Jay Beagle and Eller already penciled into the middle of the Caps' center ice depth chart, Sanford will start his NHL career playing the left side of a line with Eller and Justin Williams.
"What I like from him is he is always trying to hold the puck and trying to make the play," says Kuznetsov of Sanford. "Even though he is young, he is trying to make the play and I always like players like that.
"He looks really good. As long as he is going to stay here and he is going to play, he is going to learn and he will feel more comfortable for sure. He has a big body and he is making nice plays."
"He's a hockey player," says Caps coach Barry Trotz of Sanford. "He's got good instincts, he's got a lot of detail for a young player and he has produced. All that being said is a pretty good combination, I think."
Soon after the Caps' preseason finale against the New York Islanders at Verizon Center this past Sunday, Trotz took Sanford into his office and informed him he had landed an opening night roster berth. Sanford did well containing his excitement in that situation, but he's unsure how he'll react on Thursday when he laces up the blades for his NHL regular season debut.
"I try not to get nervous," says Sanford. "But I think once it comes down to that pregame time, or walking into the rink, I think it'll hit me a little bit. But hopefully I'll be able to get that out of the way early."
Sanford was the last player chosen in the second round (61st overall) of the 2013 NHL Draft. He totaled 20 goals and 63 points in 79 games with the Eagles spread over the last two seasons.
Sanford played with Eller and Marcus Johansson on Sunday against the Islanders and at Tuesday's Capitals practice. But Trotz tweaked his lines just a bit for Wednesday's practice before the Caps departed for Pittsburgh. He moved Williams onto Eller's line and put Johansson with fellow Swedes Andre Burakovsky and Nicklas Backstrom.
"I think we're going to do that a lot," says Trotz, of his line tweaks. "But yeah, the Tre Kronor line is something that we talked about and we had a little bit last year. We just did it for practice; I don't know if we'll do it [Thursday's opener] or not. But we have options.
"I really liked what we had against the Islanders [in Sunday's preseason finale]. I thought all three of those lines were very dangerous. What we're really trying to do is to make sure that I have those interchangeable parts and we can flip them out a little bit. I think we'll do that to keep things fresh a little bit for some guys. We've got some options, which is nice."
To a man, the Capitals believe they were good enough to win the Cup in each of the last two seasons, Trotz's first two behind the bench and MacLellan's first two in the GM's chair. But on the eve of another new season and another opportunity to claim the Cup that has thus far eluded them, the Caps are optimistic.
"It was frustrating that we had a good chance [to win a Cup]," says Caps goaltender Braden Holtby. "But you can't dwell on that, or else you'll just use that negatively. You take it and try and build from it, try and use it as experience to start the year. I think the only thing that is really different is that we're really excited to get back here, to get back on the ice because of the group we have here, and we know we can accomplish more."
Skate Shavings 10/13/16
Chapter One - Tonight in Pittsburgh, the Washington Capitals commence the 2016-17 season against the defending Stanley Cup champion Penguins, playing the first of their 82-game slate. Just over five months ago, the Caps' '15-16 season came to a conclusion here when the Pens prevailed in a six-game, second-round playoff series.
"You have to play there," shrugs Caps captain Alex Ovechkin. "If it's going to be first game or 10th game, it doesn't matter."
To a man, the Caps believe they were good enough to win a Cup in each of the last two seasons, and they believe they're good enough to do so next June, too. They'll spend the next 82 games aiming to land a berth in the Stanley Cup playoffs.
This season's model is remarkably similar to last season's in terms of personnel, but with 10 of the 22 rostered players in the final seasons of their current contracts, the Caps won't be able to keep this group together again next season. This will be the last kick at the Cup for this team, as currently constituted.
The regular season begins tonight and runs through April 9. What matters most to the Capitals lies just beyond that date, but there's no fast-forward button.
"The big picture is how you play in April, May and June," says Caps defenseman Matt Niskanen. "That's the end game, and hopefully your finished product is clicking at that time. Until then, it's a process. But we've got to find ways to just improve, individually and as a team. The challenge for us is to stay competitive, have that competitive nature and have fun winning games during the regular season, but also have that push to get better for when it really counts."
Same Seven - In the NHL's salary cap era, it's difficult to keep a team together for very long, especially a good team. The Caps have the unique luxury this season of beginning the season with the same seven defensemen with which they began and finished last season.
"There is always turnover, especially since the salary cap came into play," says veteran blueliner Brooks Orpik. "There seems to always be movement and younger guys coming up. Even this year, we had a couple of our younger guys have really good camps.
"We're pretty lucky to have the seven that we do, and we have a couple prospects that look like they're going to be coming along pretty soon. But I think it's an advantage, having that continuity with each other and knowing each other's tendencies should definitely work to our advantage.
Along with Orpik and Niskanen, the rearguard corps also includes Karl Alzner, John Carlson, Taylor Chorney, Dmitry Orlov and Nate Schmidt. Washington also returns the same two goaltenders from last season, Vezina Trophy winner Braden Holtby and backup Philipp Grubauer.
Having that continuity and familiarity between the defensemen and the goaltenders is a plus for the Caps.
"Especially I think in the communication and the puck movement with the goaltenders," observes Orpik. "That's something that you've really got to get used to with new guys. That's something that when you get back here for camp and you don't even really think about it. You're so used to how those guys play and how they handle the puck. It's definitely a luxury to have those two guys in there, and they both handle the puck pretty well."
Last season, the Caps permitted just 191 goals, an all-time franchise record low and the second lowest total in the league.
"I thought as a group we had a pretty successful year last year," says Niskanen. "We're going to have to play better if we want to go farther. But it's exciting to have the same group back again, and I think we have a lot of potential to be really good again. Who knows how it's going to play out in terms of who plays with who or how much, but as a group I think we're all capable of playing significant minutes when needed."
Debut Time -Caps rookie forward Zach Sanford will make his NHL debut tonight against the Penguins in Pittsburgh. In his first pro training camp and season, the 21-year-old Sanford parlayed a strong camp performance into an opening night roster berth.
"It's a dream come true to play in the NHL," says Caps captain Alex Ovechkin. "You're on a good team with great teammates, and I'm pretty sure all the guys who are going to play their first game in the league and first NHL game, it's going to be something special for them. I will say I'm pretty sure he's going to be nervous. We're going to try to talk to him a little bit, or maybe not. We'll see how he's going to react."
Caps right wing T.J. Oshie and some other teammates took Sanford out to dinner last night on the eve of his NHL debut.
"He seems - with his game - that he is a little more poised I think than I was in my rookie year," observes Oshie. "I was a little antsy, and he seems able to slow things down a little bit. He's a great player, a good fit four our team, a big guy and he's got some skill. Like everyone else, we're excited to see what he can do out there."
Pregame Pomp and Circumstance -Prior to tonight's game, the Penguins will hold a ceremony to honor last season's Cup championship team and to raise the banner commemorating the achievement to the rafters of PPG Paints Arena. The ceremony is expected to push tonight's opening puck drop back to somewhere around 8:20 or 8:20 p.m., making for a longer-than-usual gap between the end of warm-up and the start of the game.
"The only challenge for me is to make sure that I keep myself mentally prepared through the break between warm-up and the game," says Caps goaltender Braden Holtby. "[It's a] different routine a bit. That's the only challenge for me in focusing on the game.
"There is no bitterness towards Pittsburgh; they earned it, they earned a Stanley Cup. Any bitterness is towards us, that we didn't perform well enough to beat them. We're going to go in there and play our game to get us two points to start off the year well."
The Caps are likely to remain in the room until the ceremony is over or nearly over, but Caps coach Barry Trotz was mostly mum on how his players would handle the situation.
"I talked to my captains," says Trotz. "[The ceremonies] are about a half hour. There is no way I'm going to have the guys sit out there for a half an hour or anything like that.
"But we want to recognize what [the Penguins] are doing. We will. I talked to the captains, and we'll do it in our own way and be ready to go. We don't want to be disrespectful in any way as well. We will keep that internally, what we're going to do. But trust me, we will be keeping an eye on what they're up to."
Crosby Ailing -The Penguins will play tonight's opener without captain Sidney Crosby. Crosby, who played so well for Team Canada in the recently concluded 2016 World Cup of Hockey, suffered a concussion at practice late last week and is listed as day-to-day.
"Sid is continuing to make progress," says Penguins coach Mike Sullivan. "that's going to be one of those situations where it is just going to be day-to-day. He is making progress, and that's great news for us.
Also missing from Pittsburgh's lineup are goaltender Matt Murray, who suffered a broken hand in World Cup play and Bryan Rust, who is sidelined with a finger ailment. According to Sullivan, Rust is nearly ready to return to the lineup.
"Rusty is feeling really good," says Sullivan. "He is really close. I think the most important thing from our standpoint is to get him into some more intense drills and activities within the group, and so we'll try to do that over the next few days here. But Rusty is really encouraging as far as where he is at."
All Lined Up - Here's how we expect the Capitals to look when they take the ice tonight at Pittsburgh's PPG Paints Arena:
Forwards
8-Ovechkin, 92-Kuznetsov, 77-Oshie
65-Burakovsky, 19-Backstrom, 90-Johansson
82-Sanford, 20-Eller, 14-Williams
26-Winnik, 83-Beagle, 43-Wilson
Defensemen
27-Alzner, 2-Niskanen
9-Orlov, 74-Carlson
44-Orpik, 88-Schmidt
Goaltenders
70-Holtby
31-Grubauer
Scratches
4-Chorney
10-Connolly
