Caps seek answers for poor play on faceoffs
Count Capitals general manager Brian MacLellan as part of the camp that believes the impact of faceoffs on a game's result can be overstated, but even he would like to see his team succeed closer to 50 percent of the time. As it stands now, Washington is winning just 46.2 percent of its draws, the worst mark in the NHL.
In a wide-ranging interview with reporters Friday, MacLellan said he's looking to make a forward-for-forward swap ahead of the Feb. 25 trade deadline but won't necessarily seek a faceoff specialist.
“I don't think we can be at the level we're at right now where guys are going 1-12 or 2-11,” MacLellan said. “We need to be close to that 50 percent faceoff-wise. I think we've just got to get more competitive in that area . . . . I think it's a tough add, though, to find a guy. We're not going to add a guy just to be a faceoff specialist if he's not a good enough player to play on our team. We're going to have to find out ways internally to get better on faceoffs.”
In past seasons, the Capitals had center Jay Beagle, consistently in the top five in faceoff percentage, and former coach Barry Trotz would often deploy Beagle TV: Radio: with a different line — especially in the defensive zone — so he could take the draw and then change for another winger. Washington replaced Beagle with Nic Dowd and Travis Boyd, who have 48.5 and 39.3 faceoff percentages, respectively. Nicklas Backstrom is the only Capitals center above 50 percent, and not surprisingly, he takes the most draws per game.
“For the centers, plain and simple, we've got to be better,” Lars Eller said. “If something's not working, we have to find a way to adjust. The wingers, we need help from five guys. A lot of times — I don't know the statistics on it — but a lot of times the loose puck is there on either side without it being an obvious win, and then it's races and second pucks all the time that we can do a better job of as well.
“I think offensive zone and [defensive] zone draws are obviously more crucial. You're either going to get pinned in your own zone and get a chance against, or you're going to get a chance for or a rebound and get possession.”
Faceoff struggles could be contributing to the Capitals' recent slump on the power play; they're the fourth-worst team on draws in that situation, with a 48 percent success rate. On the top five-on-four unit, winger T.J. Oshie takes a significant portion of the faceoffs, and he has struggled to a 38.6 percentage. When Backstrom is in the dot on the power play, he has won 58.1 percent. The penalty kill has a 48.7 faceoff percentage, which ranks eighth in the league.