Game 6 between the Washington Capitals and New York Rangers was, in my opinion, the best game of the series so far. Throughout the entire game there was a sense of a must-win scenario. Of course, the Rangers needed to win game 6 to stay in the playoffs, but there was also pressure on the Caps to eliminate the Rangers and prevent a game 7. Both teams put forth a tremendous effort, but ultimately the Rangers were able to outlast the Capitals, beating them 4-3. After taking a 4-1 lead late in the third, the Rangers let in two goals but were able to hold out against the ensuing Capitals onslaught. Thus, the Rangers forced a game 7, which will take place on Wednesday, May 13 in New York. Although the Caps did lose, one takeaway from the game was the elevated play of some key depth players on the Caps roster.
Evgeny Kuznetsov, Joel Ward, and Jason Chimera
Earlier in the series, Joel Ward was playing on the top line with Nicklas Backstrom and Alexander Ovechkin. However, Ovechkin, Backstrom, and Ward have struggled producing offense since games one and two. In fact, Ovechkin and Backstrom have not even had a point since game two. To change things up, Berry Trotz moved Joel Ward to the second line with Evgeny Kuznetsov and Jason Chimera, and put Marcus Johansson on the top line.
This move almost saved the game for the Caps, as the Kuznetsov-Ward-Chimera line scored all three goals for the Caps. Kuznetsov scored a goal and an assist, Ward scored a goal and had two assists, and Chimera scored a goal and had an assist. Clearly, there is some great chemistry on this line. The offensive talent and speed of Kuznetsov are complimented well by the grinding style and big-body presence of Ward and Chimera. That is not to say that Ward does not play well with Ovechkin and Backstrom. In fact, when Ward, Ovechkin, and Backstrom were on their game they really did make a lethal top line. But it seems that the Rangers have figured out how to effectively cover Ovechkin and Backstrom, and since Joel Ward has been on fire this entire series, it made sense for Berry Trotz to move him to the second line.
The remarkable thing about this is that Kuznetsov scored 11 goals and 37 points in 80 games during the regular season. And when you think about it, these numbers aren’t bad for a 22 year-old Russian in his first full NHL season. But in the playoffs, Kuznetsov has elevated his game entirely, scoring five goals (one game-winning) and two assists in 13 games. Not only is this line good, they’re absolutely dominating. According to war-on-ice.com, the average CF% of all three players in game 6 was 73.29%! This stat is absurd, but it does make sense since this line carried the Caps in game 6 and scored all three of their goals.
Caps need to improve
Despite the the emergence of a strong second line, the Caps still have other areas to smooth out for game 7. First, Ovechkin and Backstrom need to pick up their production. In round one and the first two games of round 2, Ovechkin and Backstrom were the offensive dynamo many expected. However, the Rangers have done a great job at limiting their role on the ice, and preventing quality scoring chances. Hopefully Marcus Johansson can help these two superstars get around the tight Rangers defense, but ultimately Ovechkin and Backstrom will need to figure it out. Part of the problem may be that the Rangers are matching up against the Caps’ top line very well. But it is hard for Trotz to effectively match up lines against the Rangers considering how deep their offense and defense are. I mean, the Rangers can role any of their six defensemen against the Caps’ top line and still see good results.
If Ovechkin and Backstrom don’t produce, I find it hard to believe the Caps will find much offense. Sure, the second and third lines could score a few, but ultimately the Capitals will need to see their top players produce. Ovechkin and Backstrom are world class players, and as leaders on this Caps team they should be leading the way for the offense. The emergence of younger players like Burakovsky and Kuznetsov is great, but its unrealistic to think that they will be the ones saving the Caps in future playoff games (at least no yet anyways). The Caps’ depth has been saving them against the Rangers, but I wonder if Ovechkin and Backstrom had been scoring consistently against the Rangers that the series might not have gone to a game 7. The Rangers, like the Capitals, have amazing depth on offense and defense, but their top players are also scoring. The Caps won’t be able to keep up if they don’t see some scoring from their top two producers.
Finally, Braden Holtby has arguably been the best goalie in the NHL so far in the playoffs. Prior to game 6, Holtby had a .947% save percentage and was leading the league among active goaltenders in save percentage. However, in game 6 Holtby let in four goals on 28 shots, posting a poor .857% save percentage. Sure, some of these goals were a result from poor defensive play on behalf of the Capitals’ skaters, but this is the worst game Holtby has had these playoffs. Going into game 7, I personally would not like to have my goalie coming off his worst performance in the playoffs yet. I have no doubt that Holtby has the ability to rebound from this game, but there is no telling what this loss has done to his confidence and if Holtby will return to his stellar form.
Game 7 against the Rangers is obviously going to be a big game for the Caps, but the Caps definitely have to make improvements if they want to win. The Capitals played amazing hockey in third period of game 6, and if the team can grasp that same energy, I have no doubt the Caps can win against the Rangers. The problem is then not breaking down and making costly mistakes that the Rangers can capitalize on like they did in the first and second periods of Game 6.