The Capitals' top talent is failing to find the net, and there's a reason why.
ARLINGTON, V.A. — Just looking at the numbers, the Washington Capitals looked like they did everything right on Thursday. They dominated in shots and zone time and appeared to tilt the ice in their favor. But watching tells a different story, as does the final 3-0 shutout loss: for one reason or another, the Capitals can't seem to find the back of the net, and that's been the story to start the season.
Through the first nine games of 2023-24, Washington has managed just 1.69 goals per game, the third-least in the league. Though Dylan Strome helped lead a recent surge that resulted in a three-game winning streak, the Capitals are struggling to produce, especially at 5-on-5.
"I mean, we keep leaving games and going, 'Geez, that guy should win the Vezina this year.' [Marc-Andre] Fleury, [Semyon] Varlamov, [Mackenzie] Blackwood... we have to look at ourselves in the mirror," head coach Spencer Carbery said. Why are we continuing to leave these games and going, 'Gosh, that goalie was really good, it seems like he's the best in the world?'"
But why are the Capitals failing to convert? Why is this team, which features the likes of Alex Ovechkin, Evgeny Kuznetsov and more, failing to convert?
It starts with execution.
Washington's passing and playmaking have been subpar to start the season, with the team's top players struggling to make tape-to-tape passes or clean plays. While bounces or ice conditions can be to blame in some instances, there are other moments where passes aren't being made cleanly.
"I've noticed it for two months. I don't know what that is. I've challenged our guys and it starts here in practice for me. When we have opportunities to attack, it should be bang, bang, bang," Carbery said. "And for whatever reason, it just looks a little sloppy, rolling pucks, not in guys' wheelhouse, having it double clutch, off guys' skates. And that's tricky, right, because there's a confidence part to that."
Dylan Strome agreed and said that the team's in a tough spot mentally and for whatever reason, can't seem to find the confidence to get the ball rolling offensively.
"We're lacking a little bit of confidence right from pretty much everyone," Strome said. "I think it's just finding a way to kind of get it done, to try to work extra hard in practice and have the results there and then lead it towards the game... stay positive with it and create your own confidence."
T.J. Oshie added that a lot of it is also about timing and not rushing to get rid of the puck.
"I think there's still just a lot of pucks that are rolling and saucer passes that are bouncing off the ice and doesn't help that we're playing at home a lot, but just gotta clean up, focus a little bit more, take a little extra second to gather the puck, things like that," Oshie said.
Then, of course, there's adapting to new systems and finding a new identity up front. For defenseman Nick Jensen, that's been one of the more noticeable reasons for the lack of execution offensively, as he sees the team still very much being in an adjustment period.
"I think right now our big focus is kind of the process as a team of what kind of identity we want to keep playing with," Jensen said.
To get results, though, Jensen said a lot of it can come from getting players to the crease and generating traffic and chaos in front.
"It's that traffic in front of the net that's gonna cause these pucks to fall in," Jensen said.
Kuznetsov didn't completely agree with that sentiment, believing that one player in front is "more than enough," but instead emphasized the need for creativity and urgency when generating high-danger chances, especially given the talent on the roster.
"Maybe those shots that we have from the blue line, maybe there needs to be more, but I feel like we're good enough to create better opportunities, not just a shot from the blue line and a couple screens, you know?" Kuznetsov said. "I think we're much better... a lot of areas could be better."
He also reiterated the need for the Capitals to finish their chances, as several opportunities that have ended up on the tape have either been ripped high and wide or blocked.
"I think there is more room to be creative and finish those chances that we have and I feel like the last pass has to be better and everything has to be better," Kuznetsov said. "Just the pass the puck better probably and shoot the puck and put everything you have in that last shot and last pass. If we have to create more, we have to create more."
Washington also needs more from its stars, and it doesn't help that the team has had a goal disallowed in four of the last five games. Still, Ovechkin has just two goals to open the season, and neither came at even strength. Oshie is still looking for his first goal. Kuznetsov has one goal — an empty-netter — and Anthony Mantha has had flashes of confidence but just one goal to show for it.
At the end of the day, though, the Capitals believe there is a way out, and Carbery said it starts with his top offensive players coming to life. All eyes will be on them on Saturday against the Columbus Blue Jackets, which marks the 10th game of the season.
"All of our guys are capable, more than capable of doing it. We just need to get way more polished with our puck movement our passing," Carbery said. "It's just not executing at a very, very high level, which this team in the past has been as good as anybody in the National Hockey League at it, and we need that right now desperately."