The Capitals got back in the win column Sunday with a shootout win in Carolina, and they have a couple days to relish before returning to the ice at home Wednesday night against the Islanders.
And, while the Caps went 1-1 in a back-to-back weekend and were just 1-for-6 on the Power Play, EB noticed some differences in that unit while watching – and indeed, Monumental Sports Network color analyst Craig Laughlin told the guys Tuesday that some changes have been made.
“They’re trying to change the power pay all around, because it wasn’t operating very well – but since they’ve changed their looks, there’s been an uptick,” Laughlin said. “They’re not where they want to be yet, because you need the 5-on-5 and power play working together, but they’ve been so pushed into the system over the years that they’re trying to give the other penalty kill different looks. They’re not taking away Ovi’s shot, they’re giving him another dimension.”
Ovechkin’s five goals this year are two even strength, two empty-netters, and one power play goal – and while he’s getting shots, what exactly is the issue with scoring?
“I would say this about his shot: Ovi’s never going to lose that, because I’ve seen he hasn’t been getting it in the wheelhouse as much. Is it movement? Because there’s definitely something going on here,” Laughlin said. “It’s all about the process. If you’re a goal-scorer, you still have to get into the scoring areas to get looks, but I don’t think that’s a concern for Ovi. In the last two games…in his heyday, he would’ve scored three goals, so he’s getting the chances, they’re just not falling for him.”
Since the shot volume is similar, is it simply a matter of being “due” and the goals will come?
“Yes! And what I’m gonna say is, if you put him in front of the net and he deflects one in, all of a sudden, the pressure on Ovi is minimal, because he knows he’s going to get it going,” Laughlin said. “To me, for a goal-scorer, the mentality has to be to continue the process of getting into position to score goals. I still think he’s going to score 20 or 30, but I think the power play has really hurt his numbers. It's a matter of him getting one to get him going."
Take a listen to Laughlin’s entire call-in, which also has some thoughts on Dylan Strome's surge and the goaltending situation, starting about 27:30 into the clip above!