Though the Washington Capitals have won games more often than they have lost them recently, especially on home ice, the victories have not come without nerves.  In four of the Capitals' last five games, they have scored the first goal, an act that often breeds success for Washington.

Three of those four games, the Capitals have won, which, obviously, is the desired result.  What has not been desired, however, is the fashion in which they have won those games; Washington has established a lead before waiting back and playing defense instead of attacking with the same vigor than they do at the start.

Predictably, this has allowed other teams to gain momentum and generate a large number of scoring chances.  During Friday night's win against Tampa Bay, this recent trend came to a head, as after falling behind 3-0 in the game's opening 25 minutes, took advantage of the Capitals' passive play to score three of the next four goals, including two in the final three and a half minutes, and almost steal a win.

"We miss how many goals in the last five minutes?," asked Tampa Bay coach Guy Boucher following that game.  "You outshoot your opponent 32-20 in their barn?  Can't do much more than that."

For a team that has sky-high expectations, both within the organization and in the fan base, that is not the desired way to win hockey games.  In the short-term, the two points is what matters, but allowing teams to fight back into the game is a disturbing trend that the Capitals themselves are eager to buck, because Stanley Cup playoff games are not won like the Caps have won their last two contests.

"When we have the lead there, we sit back a little bit," said Matt Hendricks after the Tampa game.  "We shouldn't."  Dale Hunter ageed, saying: "You always like to close them out, be sound defensively.  When they score late, nobody's going to be happy.  It's a win, but everybody wants to be sound."

That is, of course, the long term goal.  Because the Capitals are still working into their new defensive system under Hunter, it's been difficult for them to put together full, 60-minute games.  The Capitals want to just play sound defensive hockey and keep control of the game, instead of allowing the other team to attack them while attempting to achieve that goal.

"You need to limit those chances," said Karl Alzner.  "But in doing that, you allow them to come at you a little bit.  It's hard to keep going with that aggressive style, because it can bite you in the end, you have to find a good mix.  We've done it in a couple games, but it's tough to do all the time."

Brooks Laich concurred.  "It's a very tough thing to do, in today's game, to hold leads," he said.  Even two and three goal leads, like we had last night (against Tampa).  There are a lot of factors that have to do with it, but we need to just keep getting the lead.  I think that's when we play our best."

With two home games coming up against teams below them in the standings before a tough road swing begins, the Capitals need to work out the kinks in their consistency and ability to keep the other team from dominating long stretches of play late.

Because although they may be getting wins out of teams like Tampa and a decimated Pittsburgh group, that won't fly when the Bruins come to town or the Capitals travel to Philadelphia later in the year.

They have the talent to do it.  The question is, when?

Harry Hawkings is a college student who covers the Caps for RtR.  Follow him here for all your game and practice update needs.

It's not often we here at Rock the Red get to toot our own horn about accomplishments, but there are a few topics we can't help but share. Sometimes it being featured on ESPN, other times it's writing about our blog winning awards. Our favorite, however, we couldn't achieve without the support of our readers. You see, we have a shirt shop that we started not long ago from which we donate all proceeds to Washington Capitals' charities. Whether it's Mike Green's So Kids Can or Jose Theodore's Saves for Kids, the whole "giving back" thing really gives us the warm-and-fuzzies. 

This time, we were able to donate $200.00 to Matt Hendricks' Hendy's Heroes, a faction of Defending the Blue Line which is a non profit organization created by soldiers. Through this donation, they will be able to keep the spirit of hockey alive for the children of our nations military heroes. That means that Rock the Red has been able to donate over $500 via the purchases made in our shop!!!

Again, a big thank you to all the readers (and bloggers) for all your support over the years. We have big things planned for this shop in 2012, so if you haven't checked it out recently please stop by and pick up a shirt (or three!)

Capitals' Nation held its collective breath last night after watching Calgary Flames forward Rene Bourque deliver a flagrant elbow to the head of Capitals' #1 center Nicklas Backstrom.  In an environment where even the mention of the word concussion can keep a player out of a game, a blow to the head on a player with a history of migraines was enough to give us pause.  In that instant, the reality many in hockey circles have conveniently avoided became painfully clear:  Alexander Ovechkin may be the best athlete and goal scorer on the team, but Nicklas Backstrom is the one player the Capitals cannot afford to lose.  Losing him would change the landscape drastically and would end the team's chances of winning anything meaningful this season.  For a team that has been plagued by inconsistency this season and has undergone a complete systems overhaul since the coaching change last month, Backstrom has been the rock the team could depend on every night.  If Backstrom's wasn't under consideration for the Hart Memorial Trophy as the player most valuable to his team before this incident, he should be now. 

Backstrom is no longer just Alex Ovechkin's set-up man, he is the true centerpiece of the Washington Capitals.  The general trend that began a few years ago became readily apparent on November 1. That was the night Bruce Boudreau benched Ovechkin as the Capitals were trying to force overtime against the Anaheim Ducks.  Backstrom, on the ice in favor of the goalie, started the play as Ovechkin's set up-man was put on the ice to take the face-off, and when he buried a rebound past Jonas Hiller with 42 seconds left in the game, he emerged as Nicklas Backstrom the clutch goal-scorer.  As a follow-up, Backstrom came through in the clutch in overtime, too.  He led the rush up ice with Ovechkin, motioned for Ovie to cross behind for a drop pass, then Backstrom flattened Andrew Cogliano with a counter-hit.  Backstrom then banged home a centering pass from Jeff Schultz to put the game away, cementing his status as the team's true game-changer. 

Read on.

Photo by Mitchell Layton/NHLI via Getty Images

Ever since John Erskine had his breakout performance last season, a debate has been going on between Capitals bloggers, fans, and media: when the lineup is fully intact among defensemen, does Erskine or Jeff Schultz deserve to get the call on a nightly basis?  Under Bruce Boudreau, the answer was almost always Schultz.  Boudreau had seen what Schultz could do every night when he played with Mike Green extensively in Hershey, and so when given the choice, he went with Schultz.

Since Dale Hunter took over as head coach almost a month ago, however, Schultz has fallen out of favor spectacularly.  In the six games under Hunter in which a defenseman, presumably Schultz or Erskine, could have been scratched, Schultz has sat five times and Erskine once, this past Tuesday against Nashville.  In the game that they both dressed for, Schultz saw a third of the ice time that Erskine did (3:55 to 12:56).  Which, of course, is silly, because Jeff Schultz is a better defenseman than John Erskine.

Yes.  I said it.  Jeff Schultz is better than John Erskine.

Consider this: among Capitals defensemen who have played in 13 or more games this year, Schultz is second in 5v5 goals against per 60 minutes at 2.18, according to the website BehindTheNet.ca.  That means that at even strength, the team has allowed the second fewest goals against per 60 minutes when Schultz is on the ice, second only to Karl Alzner.  In fact, Schultz is in second by a wide margin, with rookie Dmitry Orlov the next closest at 2.31 per 60 minutes. Erskine clocks in at fifth, allowing 2.49 per 60 minutes.

Not only has Schultz been good at keeping goals out, but he's also been good at keeping the opposition from getting the puck on net in the first place.  Again, according to Behind the Net, Schultz is first on the team among defensemen, regardless of how many games played, in 5v5 saves for per 60 minutes at 25. Like above, that means that with Schultz on the ice, the Capitals' goaltender has had to make the fewest saves per 60 minutes.  Coupled together with Schultz's 2.18 goals against, that's 27.18 shots against per 60 minutes, the best on the team.  Erskine, on the other hand, allows 26.2 saves per 60 minutes while playing at even strength.  Combined with his 2.49 goals allowed, that's 28.69 shots against per 60 minutes, again fifth.

Lastly, and perhaps least importantly because neither Schultz or Erskine is relied on for offense, is the difference between these two players in terms of goals for. Among Washington defensemen who have played in 13 or more games this year, Schultz is fourth in 5v5 goals for per 60 minutes at 2.18, again per Behind the Net. That's not very good when you consider that John Carlson is the leader at 2.98, but it's certainly better than Erskine, who is second to last, in front of only Dmitry Orlov, at 1.93.  That's a full quarter of a goal worse than Schultz.

Even if these types of stats are not your cup of tea, Schultz trumps Erskine in most other traditional categories as well, including points, blocks, hits, average ice time, average shorthanded ice time, and plus-minus rating.

To me, this makes it totally inexcusable that Jeff Schultz has been keeping a seat warm next to George McPhee in the press box recently.  Even when he was able to get into a game, this past Tuesday against the Predators, he played 6:01.  Six minutes of total ice time for the player who, statistically, has allowed the fewest shots and second fewest goals among defensemen on the entire Capitals roster. "I thought he looked okay," said Dale Hunter after that game.  "When you're not playing for three, four days, you're gonna look a little rusty, but, he was okay." Maybe if he played more than six minutes, he might look a little less rusty, Mr. Hunter.

Yes, I understand that Schultz is "slow" and that he "does not hit people."  That's fine.  But Erskine does not exactly rival Phil Kessel's foot speed, and though he does hit people, and work extremely hard, that's just not a valid reason to keep someone in the lineup over a proven defenseman like Schultz.  I have nothing against Erskine.  He is a warrior; he gives it his all every shift, just as Hunter called him recently.  But again, that's not justification for keeping him in the lineup over Schultz every night and even when Erskine is benched, giving Schultz six minutes on the ice.

By almost any metric and almost any way you look at it, Schultz does not belong in the press box.  As you know from watching Caps games in which Schultz plays, it's almost never pretty; in fact it's usually pretty ugly.  But the man gets the job done.  When he's on the ice, the puck usually doesn't end up in the Capitals' net.

What more do you want?

If you’ve been in the stands for a Caps game the last two seasons recently, you’ve probably heard many of your fellow fans yell one (or all) of the following, especially while the Caps are on the Power Play:

SHOOT THE PUCK!

OH COME ON! SHOOT IT!

DAMN IT, SHOOOOOT!

Clearly, fans think the team moves the puck too much, passing up good shots in lieu of the ‘pretty play’. So the question is: do they? In order to determine how often the Caps play keep-away before scoring a goal, we will take a look at the number of passes the team makes in the offensive zone leading up to each goal this season (empty net, penalty shot and shootout goals excluded). We’ll also break out the offensive zone passes by type: even strength, powerplay, home and away.

EVEN STRENGTH

The Caps average 1.05 offensive zone passes per goal  at home and 1.38 passes on the road. The Caps, a rushing-style offensive team, seem to opt for the quick shot more frequently at home than on the road (showboating for the red-clad fans?). For comparison sake, last years’ Cup winner and current #2 scoring team in the NHL, the Boston Bruins, averages 1.24 passes per goal at home and 1.57 passes away. In reviewing Boston’s goals, the majority of their even strength tallies are scored off offensive rushes, breakaways and forced turn-overs in the offensive zone as the result of a strong forecheck.

POWER PLAY

This is when most Caps fans start to get antsy and mutter ‘shoot’ under their breath. Those sitting in Verizon Center might be right. At home, the Caps 18^th ranked PP averages 3.54 passes to score a PP goal but only 2.33 passes on the road. Many Caps fans would say “See! They pass too much!” Unfortunately for those fans, one look at the league’s top ranked power play of the Vancouver Canucks squashes that theory. The Canucks average 3.29 offensive zone passes per PP goal overall, slightly more than the Caps’ unit with 3.16 passes overall. The Bruins’ 12^th ranked PP averages 3.10 passes at home but only 2.58 passes on the road, similar to the Caps.

COACHING SYSTEMS

“Dump it, get on the forecheck, be tough to play against. The one thing that he’s said since he’s come here is we’re not gonna score a whole lot of rush goals. He said against good teams in the playoffs, you don’t score those easy rush goals. He said you have to work for your goals, you have to be physical, you have to forecheck, score your goals off the cycle, [that] if you watch playoff hockey, that’s how the goals are scored.

That recent quote from Brooks Laich would make it seem that the old run-and-gun, shot off the rush Caps would quickly become a thing of the past under Dale Hunter. Under Bruce Boudreau, the Caps averaged 1.22 offensive zone passes per even strength tally and 3.14 passes on the PP. With more dumping, chasing, and cycling, one would expect the number of passes to increase as the puck was moved around in the corners before a shot was taken. Unfortunately, that hasn’t the case. Under Hunter, the Caps are actually passing less, with only 1.13 O-zone passes per goal at 5-on-5. On the PP, the team is only slightly better at 3.20 passes per goal.

So, the next time you find yourself yelling at the Caps to shoot more often, you might want to stop yourself. You should probably be yelling things like ‘Cycle!’ or ‘Pass!’ more often, since that’s what they’re being told to do in practice. And we should probably, you know, encourage them.

Dale Hunter was the wrong choice to be the head coach of the Washington Capitals.

Now that that is out of the way, let me say first that letting Bruce Boudreau go was the correct call by George McPhee.  Boudreau was, and still is, a fantastic coach who did wonderful things for the Capitals organization and the city of Washington.  But his time had come.  Washington, a team who on paper should crank out at least 45 wins, were spinning their wheels and getting blown out by mediocre teams like Winnipeg and Toronto.  In November. 
The Capitals had tuned Boudreau out; he had lost the team and they did not believe in his system.  That, in additon to the fact that Boudreau had failed to make it out of the second round of the playoffs over the last three years while having arguably the most talent-laden roster in the league during that time. It was simply over.
Part of that is certainly on the players for being entitled for three and a half years under Boudreau before their head coach attempted to reign them in.  They didn't have killer instinct in the playoffs, letting 3-1 and 2-0 series leads slip away.  And of course, part of it is on Boudreau for not preaching that instinct and letting the inmates run the asylum for three and a half years before trying to regain control through "accountability" with stunningly poor results.
In order attempt to fix the problem, George McPhee brought in franchise icon Hunter from the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League.  Hunter had an amazing run with the Knights: six division titles, six seasons of over 100 standings points, and a Memorial Cup victory in 2004-05.  And yet, he was still the wrong choice to be the head coach of this team.
The reasons are twofold.  First, the Capitals are still a very talented team.  Alex Ovechkin may be being outperformed by Matt Moulson and Max Talbot, Alexander Semin may still be invisible almost all of the time, and Tomas Vokoun might be vastly underperforming, but at the end of the day this team is, quite frankly, better than most on paper.  The issue is not making the playoffs, it is going far in the playoffs.
Why hire a coach who has not only no playoff experience, but one who has never coached professionally before? 
The Capitals have Stanley Cup aspirations this year.  First year coaches almost never win the Stanley Cup.  Dan Bylsma is the exception, not the rule, and even then he had coached in the AHL before he took over for Pittsburgh.  People say Hunter was hired for his toughness and no-nonsense attitude.  Fine.  Why not hire someone like Marc Crawford, who has actually won a Cup and possesses those attributes?
Secondly, the Capitals have built a franchise around scoring goals.  Lots of goals. Dale Hunter's system preaches the opposite of that.  Hunter's system relies upon puck support, a trap in the neutral zone, and good defensive zone play from the forwards.  It does little to open the game up and give players chances to score. The proof, as they say, is in the pudding: in the nine games since Hunter took over, the Caps have scored one goal five times.
That's fine when you are a team like the Bruins who have 11 great two way players and a glorified enforcer in your forward corps who can play great defense and still score because they wear people down.  The Capitals just do not have that. 
Because no matter how hard you try and get Alex Ovechkin and Alexander Semin, among others, to play good positional defense, they just won't do it. Heroic shifts and shot blocks are nice; they don't indicate consistently good defensive play or positioning.  By forcing Semin, and particularly Ovechkin, in to doing what people think is "necessary to win," are the Capitals actually lessening their chances by ruining the drive of their franchise players, goal scorers, and captain?
Why not let them loose?  Try and let Team Russian Sniper do what they are paid a lot of money to do?  Some have characterized, falsely, that Alex Ovechkin is a "coach killer."  What if it is in fact the coaching that is killing Alex Ovechkin?  I haven't seen the old Alex since November of 2010.  It's not a coincidence that's when Boudreau started the new defensive system.  The questions are worth asking.
The Capitals failed to make it out of the first round with a free-flowing system in place, yes.  They also managed to build a 3-1 series lead before running in to one of the most incredible postseason runs by a goaltender in the history of the NHL. It wasn't that fact that they played offensive hockey that was the reason they lost, it was Halak.  Halak was system-proof; he proved it by eliminating the defending Stanley Cup Champions in the second round.  Why not go back to what made them the most dominant offensive team in over a decade in 2009-10?
Is Hunter's system the more likely to grind out close playoff games?  Probably. But this roster is not situated for that kind of system.  It wasn't when Bruce Boudreau played a defensive system; the result stayed the same in the playoffs. It certainly isn't now.  If Hunter were to have been named the coach in the offseason, when it was more logistically feasible to make huge changes to the roster like the Flyers did, the move would make more sense.  Not right now.  Not with these players.  This an offensive team. It's what made them so great, it's what sold tickets, it's what elevated the Caps to arguably the biggest deal in DC sports.
I am sure that Dale Hunter will grow into a fantastic coach and win a lot of hockey games when given the right players to execute his defensive system.  But that will take time.  Boring hockey is fine, as long as you find a way to get it done.  The Caps haven't been able to do that. 
Should Dale Hunter be fired?  No.  That's ludicrous.  But expecting a Championship seems unrealistic.  It's a shame that the results, again, probably will not be there this year.

For a fan base and a franchise growing more desperate by the day, it just might not be good enough.

First published on Japers Rink.

When I first heard the news of Coach Bruce Boudreau's firing from the Washington Capitals, I cursed my fortune to pick that week to go to Anaheim for my day job. As it happens, I was in the right place at the right time to witness the first game of the transformation of the Anaheim Ducks into Boudreau's attacking system. I was fortunate enough to be in the building for his first game as head coach. My main observation from that night is: for those of you who might be missing Bruce Boudreau right now, don't.

Read on

Through 23 games, the team's number one center is the leading scorer, even if his plus/minus isn't impressive.  He is coming off a sub-par season after a 30+goal, 101-point season the year before.  As a top draft pick, he has the pedigree and potential to take over games, and indeed, the entire NHL. The team isn't doing too bad in the grand scheme of things, still in playoff position, but they are on the cusp of a major shakeup.

I am of course talking about the 2005-06 Boston Bruins just before they traded Joe Thornton to the San Jose Sharks.  Through 23 games, Jumbo Joe had 9 goals and 33 points but just an even defensive rating.  Starting Game 24, as a newly minted Shark with a sniper on his wing that went on to win the Rocket Richard Trophy, Thornton posted 20 goals, 92 points, and a +31 rating in his final 58 games.  Even though he didn't break 30 goals and the Sharks didn't break 100 points or win their division, Thornton still won the scoring title and the Hart Trophy as most valuable player, despite his Rocket Richard-winning linemate, Jonathan Cheechoo.

Up until Game 24, everything else there applies to Nicklas Backstrom this season.  Backstrom sits tied for 7th in the NHL in scoring with 8 goals and 26 points, just 6 points behind the leader.  He's got a -6 rating, but the team is going through a major shakeup with a new defensive-minded coach in Dale Hunter.  He's got a struggling two-time Rocket Richard trophy winner on his wing, and Alex Ovechkin might just wake up under this new system and lead the NHL in goals again, which can only help Backstrom's already impressive production. In short, the stage is set for Nicklas Backstrom to take the NHL by storm, and if he leads the NHL in scoring, gets his +/- rating up, and the Caps finish the season within sight of the Southeast Division crown, this could be the year he wins the Hart Trophy as league MVP.

Read on.

The Dale Hunter Era, Part Deux begins tonight at Verizon Center as the former Washington Capitals team captain and all-around nice guy steps behind the bench for his former team. A lot has changed in Washington over the last few days, but behind the scenes even more consequences of the coaching switch are popping up in and around the Caps' locker room.

- Hunter will make Cody Eakin crank call Ron Hextall and ask if his refrigerator is running. When he says yes, Eakin has been told to respond ‘Well you better catch it before it runs through your 5-hole in OT of Game 7!’

- All banners featuring Hunters name, number or likeness will be removed from Kettler and the Verizon Center. New banners will be hung, emblazoned with just the number ‘3565’.

- Olie Kolzig will have to sit Hunter down to explain to him why yelling ‘Just put Bonzai on the top line!’ isn't going to inspire confidence in his fellow coaches.

- Hunter will have to put Sergei Gonchar on his ‘blocked callers’ list.

- "ROOKIE! GET ME MY SOCKS!" will be directed at Jeff Halpern and not Dimitri Orlov.

- Alex Semin will really regret choosing this season to admit he understands and can speak English.

- Hunter will call Matt Hendricks into his office and ask a simple question: “Are we related?”

- The staring contests between Hunter and George McPhee will be EPIC, as will those between Hunter and the picture of Rod Langway inside Kettler.

- Karl Alzner will be overheard saying ‘I don’t know why, but coach said he wants me to grow a mullet, start smoking and get a Harley.”

- All sticks, water bottles and coolers will be bolted to the bench to avoid being inadvertently thrown onto the ice. Unfortunately, Roman Hamrlik and Jeff Schultz will not be.

Matt Gajtka is a writer and co-editor (with Matt Shetler) for CityOfChampionsSports.com, a blog devoted to covering Pittsburgh sports. His day job is with the Muskegon (Mich.) Lumberjacks of the United States Hockey League, where he is the Communications Director and Broadcaster.

A team with high expectations had made a sudden plunge in the standings, causing many in the hockey world to wonder if their time at the top had come to a premature end. As a result, their successful head coach was fired and replaced by a man with zero experience managing an NHL bench.

The team I reference was the 2008-09 Pittsburgh Penguins, who relieved Michel Therrien of his duties with his team in an unforeseen slump following one of the best 20-game starts in franchise history. Dan Bylsma, who was in the midst of his first season leading an AHL club, was promoted to take the Penguins' reins. We all know how the story ended.

Of course, the first paragraph could also apply to this year's Washington Capitals, who canned Bruce Boudreau the Monday after Thanksgiving, the holiday that often marks the beginning of serious self-evaluations for NHL franchises. Much like Therrien, Boudreau had achieved great regular-season success after taking over in midseason years prior and instituting the oft-desired "culture change." Much like the Penguins of three years ago, the Caps began this campaign strongly at 7-0-0 and looked to be on track for another Southeast Division title. Much like Bylsma in February 2009, new Washington bench boss Dale Hunter has never donned the mantle of NHL head coach until his sudden elevation.

Read on!