Washington Capitals: Match Ratings for January 2019
The Washington Capitals followed up a stellar December with a horrendous January. Here’s one last look back at the team’s worst month in years.
When I was writing last month’s version of this piece, it was a struggle to find bad things to say about the Washington Capitals. Right now, it is a struggle to find anything good to say about them.
If a great December ended on a bit of a sour note, January was a bitter symphony. The Capitals went 3-6-3 in the first month of 2019 and are currently riding a seven-game losing streak into February. Their last win came way back on January 10th against Boston.
So which games in January were the most important for Washington? Which ones should be remembered at the end of the season as key turning points or indicators of the team’s performance? Or, which games were so fun that they can be rewatched time and time again?
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As I have mentioned in previous iterations, that is the purpose of these articles. Perhaps the patterns that are obvious here will still be relevant come playoff time. Or maybe one of these games is just so fun that it must be rewatched. Hopefully, this article helps with that decision.
If you have followed this series of articles this year, you would notice that they had normally been done on a weekly basis. Starting with December, the format has been changed into doing a monthly wrap with less detailed write-ups for each game.
Instead, one or two games every week that I believe are very important will be spotlighted and analyzed. The other games will be awarded performance and entertainment ratings, but will not be discussed. If you disagree with any of the scores I give, let me know in the comments!
While I would like to branch out the scope to more teams, I am unfortunately only able to watch Washington Capitals games with any consistency, so these articles will only look at those games. Without further ado, let us look back at January for Washington!
Week 14: 1/1 – 1/6
Spotlight: Capitals @ Blues (1/3)
2. 19. 5. 99. Final
It may be difficult to remember this far back, but the general mood surrounding the Washington Capitals was still positive when they embarked on a short road trip that started out against the struggling St. Louis Blues.
While the Blues were in turmoil at that point, however, they looked more like the defending champions in this one. Outside of Alex Ovechkin‘s 30th goal of the season and a short-lived one-goal lead, the Caps never looked like they were in this one at all.
In retrospect, while the previous loss to Nashville was a bad one, this game in particular would foreshadow how the rest of the month went for Washington. They played very poor defensively and were not bailed out by their goaltender. They just looked out of it.
At the time, I was willing to chalk it up to an off night. Now, I’m not so sure.
Performance: 2/10
Entertainment: 2/10
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Other Games That Week:
1/4: Capitals @ Stars (2-1 OT Loss)
Performance: 6/10
Entertainment: 4/10
1/6: Capitals @ Red Wings (3-2 Win)
Performance: 5/10
Entertainment: 6.5/10
Week 15: 1/7 – 1/13
Spotlight: Capitals @ Bruins (1/10)
19. 2. 70. Final. 4
This is a very intriguing game, one that was pretty unique in the context of the month as a whole but that could have massive significance going forward.
At first glance, it appears as though the Washington Capitals stole a game here, winning 4-2 despite getting nearly doubled up in shots. A closer examination, however, shows that the Caps actually won the shot quality battle, while Boston took a lot of harmless shots from the point.
By that standpoint, this was arguably Washington’s best defensive performance of the month, which is a bit odd considering that they allowed more than 40 shots. But this recipe of focusing on high-danger scoring chances is what won them the Cup last spring.
From an entertainment standpoint, this was a pretty fun game to watch! The Capitals and Bruins have a fun rivalry, and the added stakes of Washington having won the last 14 games only makes close games like this one more watchable.
Performance: 6.5/10
Entertainment: 7/10
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Other Games That Week:
1/8: Capitals vs. Flyers (5-3 Win)
Performance: 7/10
Entertainment: 4/10
1/12: Capitals vs. Blue Jackets (2-1 OT Loss)
Performance: 4.5/10
Entertainment: 7/10
Week 16: 1/14 – 1/19
Spotlight: Capitals vs. Islanders (1/18)
19. Final. 2. 106. 0
Any of the matches this week are worthy of this spotlight section for various reasons, but this game, in particular, is arguably the most indicative of where the team is right now.
No, the Washington Capitals did not allow six goals in this game, as they did the game before and have in each of the three games since, but their general lack of effort and interest against the division leaders (and Barry Trotz’s new team) spoke louder than any scoreline would.
One of the common threads from the Match Rating articles in October and November was the discussion of the Stanley Cup hangover. After their impressive run in December, I was confident that the Capitals had recovered from it.
This game was the embodiment of the Stanley Cup hangover. NINETEEN shots all game long, no goals, just utter apathy. Throw in the ultra-trap of Trotz and the Isles, and this was an awful game in every aspect. Burn the tape.
Performance: 1/10
Entertainment: 1/10
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Other Games This Week:
1/14: Capitals @ Blues (4-1 Loss)
Performance: 2/10
Entertainment: 2.5/10
1/15: Capitals @ Predators (7-2 Loss)
Performance: 1/10
Entertainment: 1.5/10
Week 17: 1/20 – 1/24
Spotlight: Capitals @ Sharks (1/22)
6. 19. Final. 7. 120
Much like last week, there is plenty to talk about from the three games in this week. In fact, both this game and the Chicago one immediately preceding it have similar threads that are very relevant for the Washington Capitals right now.
I chose this game to spotlight, however, because the Capitals played well in this one. Other than the three-game winning streak earlier in the month, this was arguably their best effort in January. Their offense clicked, Braden Holtby made some big saves – things were looking good.
But they lost anyways, and in a heartbreaking blown-lead fashion reminiscent of the Anaheim loss from early December. And the reason they lost is simple: their defense has not been good enough.
Obviously the six goals allowed in three-straight games is one clue, but the advanced stats show this is not just some aberration. Washington is playing high-risk hockey right now, and it is not working for them.
What has to change? Perhaps a trade for a depth-defenseman like Michal Kempny from last season would help. More likely, a shake-up of the defense pairings is much-needed. Matt Niskanen in particular has been horrendous this season, and it may be worth sitting him for a bit.
Going back to this game, it was undoubtedly a fun one to watch. Way too sloppy defensively for my tastes, but it was competitive and dramatic and much, much better than the drivel we had to sit through in the previous week.
Performance: 6/10
Entertainment: 7/10
Other Games This Week:
1/20: Capitals @ Blackhawks (8-5 Loss)
Performance: 4.5/10
Entertainment: 6/10
1/23: Capitals @ Maple Leafs (6-3 Loss)
Performance: 4/10
Entertainment: 4/10
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This was a bad month for the Washington Capitals, but on the bright side, at least it is still January, and not April or May. There is plenty of time for them to get their act together and turn things around.
Two things that must happen immediately are to up the intensity and shake up the defense. Apathetic efforts like that Islanders game cannot happen at this point in the season, and allowing six goals is something that should happen once a month at most, not in four out of five games.
Can the Washington Capitals come out of the bye week refreshed and ready for another cup run? Will February be better than January was? After all, it cannot get any worse, right? I’ll be back with more match ratings in a month, so until then, enjoy the hockey!