Washington’s capitals are far from being in total crisis, but the hopes of their season definitely do not look good. After an amazing defeat 4-0 in Raleight on Saturday, it has become clear that some strategy that this team brought to the series simply does not work.
Through three games, Carolina has dominated Washington in almost all phase of the game. Game 2 in Washington now looks more like an error in the radar, instead of being indicative of success. With the place of taking of the game 4 on Monday night, it is the last best opportunity for the capitals to direct this series under the weight of the expectation of the regular season 2024-25, and also the emotional pressure of trying to win a cup for Alex Ovechkin Boreson.
It is sure to say that Washington looks like a deer in the headlights, but the real question is why?
The numbers that have defined this series
When we look why hurricanes are handling capitals so easily at this time, it is reduced to three key areas:
- Shots
Carolina: 89
Washington: 56 - Puck Control (5V5 Corsi for)
Carolina: 67.9%
Washington: 33% - The offensive zone begins
Carolina: 69.1%
Washington: 30.9%
What do the thesis mean? In short: Carolina’s strategy works perfectly. The entire offensive system of Rod Id-A’Mour revolves around the use of the Forcheck to expel the mistakes of the opposite players and shrink the ice so that it can take their defenders to the central ice and essentially play half-rin hockey. That is working, and it is exceptionally bad for the capitals.
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I arrance that idea in the back of your head, exhaustion, because it will be critical in a time.
Succeed
This is one of the most surprising elements of this series, and something that I don’t think that anyone really saw. Hurricanes have a very small advanced unit, with an average of 6’0 and 188 pounds. Compare with the capitals the same line, which averages 6’4 and 227 pounds. There is no planet in which Washington is forced to the album in the lawyer as much as they are, but Carolina has shown an amount of struggle in this regard.
So, the question is: why don’t the capitals really throw their muscle? As he is alone, Tom Wilson seems to have some fight in this series, with the rest of the CAPS playing much smaller than their frames. This was not one more problem against the most delicate Canadians, but Washington cannot expect to cost the lack of effort against hurricanes.
There is almost a sense of resignation of the capital coach, Spencer Carbery, when asked why his first line is fighting, and in particular why Ovechkin has not marked a point in this series.
“I think that in general only its line, and Dylan is based a lot on that,” Washington coach Spencer Carbertry said. “It is difficult because they are a line that depends a lot on the entrances and the creation of entrances, and you simply will not get many of those aggressors of Carolina’s hurricanes with their gap control and the length and size of their [defensemen]. “
Here is the problem: it is Carbery’s work to solve how to get entities. While it is true that the canes have a great lid control and long defenders, continuously criticizing the OVI/Strome/protas against him simply does not work.
The “problem” ovi
The biggest problem at this time is that Carbery insists on keeping Oveechkin on the front line, and simply does not work. At this point in his career, you reasonably only get 17 minutes of ice time from Ovechkin at night, and that has to be used in key scoring situations, not hitting your head against the bastones lawyer.
There has been a constant battle of Ovechkin with Seth Jarvis or Jackson Blake, depending on how toast-a’mour adjust their lines, and now we have types that are 22 years and 21 years old, respectively, harass to Ovechkin and SAP what remains of their 39-year-old energy.
Ovechkin is the no. 1 goal goal in the capitals this season, and much of his game was preached by Stome and protas opening opportunities for him, but when those passes lanes are not open, we have that OVI is not obtaining any gossing at the door.
The smartest thing that Carbery could do would be to change Oveechkin to the third line for Andrew Maniapane. That would allow more cases in which Ovi faces the Jordan Line much less athletic of Carolina with Jordan Martinoak and Jordan Steel.
I would exchange a first level step for OVI, but give it some open looks for the first time this season. It is the only place in the lines of the dogs that is ancient, and that must be exploited with this series in the line, instead of tireding Ovi and expecting things to bounce in another direction.
Monday is the one to win for Washington
He currently dropped 2-1 in the series there is no margin of error. The capitals have To return to DC with this level series if they have any opportunity to move on. Carbery has commented that Carolina is an extraordinarily difficult place to play due to the noise of the crowd, and that will become orders of magnitude worse if hurricanes have the opportunity to close the series at home in game 6, and that works.
It is time to press the panic button and do something about it. OVI has to be put in a position in which he can prosper, and Tom Wilson must be put in a higher place where he can use the physical to put some pain in Seth Jarvis and Andrei Svechnechov.
As is thought, the CAPS seem resigned to continue trying the same and waiting for them to work magically, but at this time there is no magic about how Washington is playing.
