After a Slow Start For Capitals, Is Change On The Horizon?

With the Washington Capitals off to a mediocre (for the Washington Capitals) start, many of the same problems that plagued the team late in last season and in their first round loss to Montreal are resurfacing.  The Caps' 5-3 record is somewhat misleading, as three of their wins have come in overtime, and they have yet to really gel offensively besides during their 7-2  home opening demolishing of New Jersey.  If the team continues to underachieve, one would assume changes would be afoot in the nation's capital, but where?  

At the forefront of the team's struggles is the power play.  Currently, the Capitals sit 19th in the NHL in power play rankings, a far cry from their league leading conversion rate last season.  

Since the beginning of their first round matchup against Montreal in May of this year, the Capitals have scored just 5 power play goals on 66 chances.  Fortunately, the team's penalty kill is among the league's best thus far, ranking 7th with about an 89% success rate.  

The power play's struggles are particularly troubling because it has been the Capitals bread and butter over the last three seasons.  A large part of the reason the Capitals had seven 20-goal scorers last season is because of their deadly power play, and it's no coincidence the Capitals are struggling to win games when their power play has been laying goose eggs on a nightly basis.  

The top line of Alexander Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom and Mike Knuble has been relatively ineffective, at least by their standards thus far.  Ovechkin hasn't scored in three games, and the line has yet to have a true breakout performance.  

History would suggest it's only a matter of time before the first line starts firing on all cylinders, but their play so far is eerily similar to their performance in the first round of the playoffs.  

One game the line takes over, as seen in their performance against the Islanders, in which Ovechkin and Backstrom combined to score both of the team's goals in a 2-1 win.  However, they follow that up with two terrible games against the Bruins, in which Ovechkin took multiple minute-and-a-half shifts- a sign of a frustrated Ovechkin.  

Ironically, the team's goaltending seems to be the least of their worries.  While Semyon Varlamov has been average, Michal Neuvirth has been a stud, posting a 5-2 record, and a sparkling .919 save percentage.  

Unfortunately, the sloppy team defense has left Neuvirth out to dry frequently.  The team's lack of attention to detail in the defensive zone has lead to numerous breakdowns, many of which are caused by lazy backchecking and bad turnovers.

The Capitals' fire-wagon style of hockey leads to a number of offensive chances —for both teams. While it has allowed for creativity in the offensive zone, it also creates odd-man opportunities for the opposition, which has proved to be their achilles heel in the playoffs.

These shortcomings in the defensive zone beg the question of whether or not Bruce Boudreau's offensive, open-ended brand of hockey can ultimately bring a Stanley Cup to Washington. If the squad's lackluster play continues, at least this writer believes Bruce's days may be numbered, though the problem's probably aren't his fault.

The Caps have now spent two seasons as a thought-to-be front runner for the Stanley Cup, so if this squad doesn't appear to be on the cusp of success by Thanksgiving, a change may be the best route.

Boudreau instilled confidence in his young offensive dynamos like Ovechkin, Backstrom, Alex Semin and Mike Green, but the team's overall lack of discipline and defensive awareness is an ongoing major concern for the organization.  Changes may be on the horizon.