The Capitals Have the Worst Power Play in the NHL

The Washington Capitals‘ power play unit has been an unmitigated disaster. The Capitals have the third-worst power play in the NHL in terms of percentage at 14.6 percent, but when you factor in a league-leading 8 short-handed goals against and the sheer talent that this team has, they’re the worst unit in the NHL.

Back in October, after only five games, I wrote that the Capitals man-advantage was a mess and needed to be corrected. Corrected, it has not been.

For a team that is a legit Stanley Cup contender and currently second in the entire NHL behind only the Tampa Bay Lightning in terms of overall standings points, something significant has to change. For the first time all season, the top unit was healthy last night against the Nashville Predators, and we saw more of the same.

The unit was predictable, slow, and lackadaisical with the puck. They finished the night 0-for-6, despite that, the Washington Capitals won. You will not win many hockey games with a performance like that on the man-advantage.

Some may argue the unit needs more time now that it’s healthy, especially with the reintroduction of Nicklas Backstrom. No, no it does not. Whether the blame is on assistant coach, Blaine Forsythe who is the architect of the man-advantage or Peter Laviolette, the team’s bench boss, something has to change.

The team’s refusal to make any significant changes to the setup and the slingshot entries already has cost the Capitals standings points and it will continue to do so until something changes. Even with the injuries, this unit has had plenty of talent all season long.

Alex Ovechkin, who is currently tied for most power play goals all-time, Evgeny Kuznetsov the ultra-talented Russian playmaker and John Carlson, one of the best offensive defensemen in the NHL have been healthy for the vast majority of the season and the power play has still been downright embarrassing. Nicklas Backstrom is talented, but he isn’t a miracle-worker. This unit will continue to struggle because it’s predictable.

The once-feared Washington Capitals power play unit is no-more. They often times meander their way into the zone and once there, everyone in the world knows what they will try to do. The Capitals move the puck around, desperately looking to feed Ovechkin for one-timers.

Ovechkin is no-doubt the greatest goal scorer of all-time, but the Capitals have other weapons. They need to start using them, they must push the pace on the man-advantage and the other players need to start taking their own shots instead of looking for Ovechkin. The goals will come for Ovechkin if that happens. If that doesn’t happen, the goals won’t come for Ovechkin or anybody else on the power play.