Washington Capitals: Is Alex Ovechkin’s hot start sustainable?
Can Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin continue his red-hot start? The answer might surprise you.
It’s pretty difficult to find much to criticize in Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin‘s play in the first two games of the season. Back to back hat tricks to open an NHL season for the first time in 100 years. That pretty much says it all.
Except it doesn’t.
Ovechkin is about as hot as a hockey player can get. Back to back hat tricks in consecutive periods of consecutive games, with another goal thrown in for good measure. Simply put, Ovechkin scored seven goals in under 60 minutes.
Meanwhile, his center Evgeny Kuznetsov has quietly racked up seven assists in two games. Something only possible when your linemate is a three-time Hart and Pearson Award winner, a six-time Rocket Richard winner and former Calder Trophy winner.
That’s not all. The third member of the Ovechkin line, Jakub Vrana, has racked up three points with a +4 rating through two games. He could easily have added a layup goal against the Montreal Canadiens, but a bouncing puck denied him. What Vrana’s brought to the line doesn’t show up in the stats to the same degree as his linemates, but it’s an excellent start by any measure.
The line obviously gets A’s across the board, but why is it working so well? There’s a lot more than meets the eye. So let’s take a look and see why the Washington Capitals first line has been dominant. To the point where it’s borderline historic.
What’s Working
It’s not all about a hot Ovechkin, as tempting as it might be to say that and move on. No one would argue with you if you said that. But Ovechkin has been hot before and so has Kuznetsov. This is something different.
For starters, this all-new line is playing a completely different style of hockey from last season’s Washington Capitals top line of Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, and T.J. Oshie. Kuznetsov and Vrana are both blazing fast. Most importantly, they know how to use it. Kuznetsov’s speed, in particular, is deceptive. He can and does change speed and direction on a dime, and that demands attention from the opposing defenders.
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Vrana is always moving and slashing across and behind the net, popping up on either side ready to step out into open space. That movement draws the two defenders down low and forces them to chase. This forces two defenders to watch Vrana and handoff the coverage while trying not to get caught out of position.
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Meanwhile, Kuznetsov is sweeping from circle to circle in the center of the ice, ready to pounce on any defensive mistake. Much like Vrana down low, Kuznetsov crosses across and through multiple defenders zones, with the added dimension of having the puck on his stick a lot.
Backstrom is patient, willing to sit back and wait for the opening or the mistake. Kuznetsov, however, is forcing the mistakes. Backstrom lulls you to sleep. Kuznetsov dares you and forces you to chase.
Two players moving through the middle in ways that demand the attention of three or four defenders is going to create huge problems for any defense. Mistakes happen when defenders have to hand off players to other defenders. Something Capitals fans should recognize from last springs series with the Toronto Maple Leafs among others.
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All of this movement going on is leaving Ovechkin with more time and space to work with than he’s seen in years. One constant throughout Ovi’s career – if you give him time and space, he scores a lot.
Both Kuznetsov and Vrana are excellent passers who create space, and they’re getting the puck to the lines primary finisher. At his core, what makes Ovechkin the Great 8, is he is the best finisher of his generation. Maybe of any generation. He’s a better passer and defender than he’s ever been before, but scoring goals is still his bread and butter.
His game is simplified greatly when his linemates can pull the normal double coverage away from him. He’s finding the open ice and burying his chances with the extra time his linemates are buying him.
Forecasting The Future
While Ovechkin’s shooting percentage almost indefinitely won’t remain this high, what Kuznetsov and Vrana are doing is sustainable. Speed doesn’t have off nights. Players slashing through the middle is a challenge for any defense to contend with. You can only load up on Ovechkin if you know where the other skaters will be on the ice and if you don’t fear their scoring ability.
Ovi's number ☝️ #ALLCAPS#CapsSens on @NBCSWashington https://t.co/yKq0DF9qpY
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) October 6, 2017
Vrana’s career is just starting out. His ceiling is much higher than what he’s shown in these first few games. You can expect to see more finish from Vrana as he settles in and the season goes on. Teams will try to adjust and shade Ovechkin, and space will open up down low for him.
Kuznetsov looks like a man who just signed a huge contract and means to earn it. No longer is Kuznetsov playing from a script written by someone else, he is now the writer and the director of his own play. If teams try to take away Ovechkin, and then Vrana, Kuznetsov is a more than capable finisher in his own right.
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Kuznetsov has also learned more than a few tricks from Backstrom. He can play the patient game almost as well as Backstrom if the situation requires it. This line as a whole has multiple dimensions stylistically that they’re capable of playing, and multiple passers and finishers.
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Ovechkin is not going to score 287 goals this season (his current pace). The dropoff, however, may not be nearly as severe as you would think. This Washington Capitals first line is going to be a handful every night and for every team.