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5 reasons why the Caps could be on the verge of something big

Alexander Ovechkin sticks his toungue out like Michael Jordan after scoring a shorthanded goal to give the Caps a 2-1 lead. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS/Luis M. Alvarez

When small and big complimentary parts work in cohesion as they did Saturday night, teams are going to have a very hard time beating these Caps. When your call-ups like Karl Alzner and Sean Collins are able to instantly step into the big time and contribute, you have a team that isn’t easily shaken. When even a superstar, in Alexander Ovechkin tells you he was disappointed to score a goal rather than pass to a teammate for an attempted empty-net hat-trick, you know that Boudreau’s team concept is being fully embraced. With the victory over the Rangers, the Caps now sit at 26-11-3, their best start ever! Here are 5 reasons we may be on to something big with this squad.

 

When you think back to the great squads of the past, the common thread for so many teams is that they all had one “super” line that could literally make your head spin. I’m talking about lines like the ‘French Connection’ line in Buffalo of Gilbert Perreault, Rene Robert and Rick Martin, the 'Dynasty Line' in Montreal of the 70’s of Guy Lafleur, Jacques Lemaire and Steve Shutt and the early 90’s Penguins line of Mario Lemieux, Jarmoir Jagr and Kevin Stevins. Now I’m not saying the Ovechkin, Niklas Backstrom, and Victor Kozlov first line is the equal to any of these line, but they sure are scary. You have your natural goal scorer in physical presence in Ovechkin, your natural skater and passing set up man in Backstrom, and Kozlov, who is proficient all-around and good at goal scoring and passing even though he doesn’t do it with nearly as much ease as the other two. It’s the perfect combination, like Coke and Crown Royal on the rocks. When Kozlov has a rare off day, or the team is trailing by one, you can even form the Russian-wing by pairing Ovechkin, Backstrom and Alexander Semin. Volla! Instant offense.

 

The usage of the previously mentioned “super” line is akin to the nuclear option. You should only deploy it when you have the power beyond its use to back it up. Simple hockey translation: You better have secondary scoring.

 

The Pittsburgh Penguins know this, that’s why for most of this year they have separated Sidney Crosby from Evgeni Malkin. It's the old "don't put all your eggs in one basket" theory as when those two are paired together the Penguins have had trouble finding scoring from any other line.

 

This is not the case for the Caps, who happily have a number of legitimate scorers who do not play on the first line.

 

Alexander Semin, for one, is beyond legitimate. Indeed, he is already well on his way to becoming a superstar. I’ve seen Semin improve both his shot and even his spatial awareness this year in the offense zone, and before he got injured earlier in the year, Semin was already among the league leaders in goals.

 

The Caps also have a good secondary scoring threat in the recent blossoming of Tomas Fleischmann. Fleischmann up until this year has been somewhat of an enigma. You always knew he had the speed, but would he ever develop a shot, stay focused and bring his potential to fruition? This year it appears he has and after heading into this season with 14 total goals, he already has 12 this year. The slick skating Mike Green is also a constant threat to score and although he may never be a consistent +30 plus goal scorer, Brooks Laich is turning into a guy who you can count on to get you between 15-25 which is just fine by the Caps.

 

Every team needs a line like the Caps have with Eric Fehr, David Steckel and Chris Clark. Every team needs a pairing of players whose specific job is to shutdown the oppositions high powered line and create energy, and this is exactly what this line does on a consistently. This is important, as prior to contrary evidence the Caps can’t win every game 5-4.

 

Having a shutdown line is especially important in the playoffs, where every goal, chance and hit could mean the difference between advancing and sitting at home, and the margin for error is so miniscule. Clark, Steckel and even Fehr is getting better at winning those battles against the boards, which in hockey is akin to defensive and offensive line controlling the trenches in football. In addition to the Caps 3^rd line, Boyd Gordon and Matt Bradley are also guys who know how to fulfill a shutdown and controlling role. 

 

 

The last two Stanley Cup winners, Detroit and Anaheim won in part by playing an up-tempo style in which the puck on defense was constantly being chased and forwards provided support on defense. It is somehow a style that is brilliantly aggressive while still conservative enough to not let the game get carried away. I would argue, and most would argue that this is the model by which Boudreau coaches. At the same time, Boudreau’s players know that he trust them enough to make sure the system isn’t overly rigid. This in part explains why our offense is so creative and freewheeling. This is enjoyable to everyone, both the fans and the players. If it wasn’t, why else would Sergei Fedorov publicly thank Boudreau for making hockey fun again after playing in Columbus? 

 

You could write 20,000 adjectives about this guy, chronicle his every offensive move and keep a alphabetical list of his relatives and still be missing something. So I’ll keep it simple. Ovechkin, is the best player in the world. That never hurts, if you’re trying to win the Stanley Cup.