This is an analysis of the Washington Capitals’ performance from an advanced statistics standpoint for the week of Jan 17-23, 2916. Statistics were taken from the War on Ice Website for each game. In unhappy news, it was announced that the developers of the War on Ice are planning to shut down the site this spring. So, it will be a greater challenge to gather and compile statistics.
Capitals vs New York Rangers (January 17)
The Capitals won this game 5-2. The Caps gave up the first goal about half way through the first period but tied it up before the end of the first period. During the second period, Caps scored two goals to pull ahead and gave up one goal near the end of that period. They added two more goals.
This game was one where the primary point getters, Justin Williams with 3 goals Evgeny Kuznetsov with 3 assists and Andre Burakovsky, with 2 assists, were on the second line. The Corsi For and Fenwick For percentages did not reflect their high production. Kuznetsov had a Corsi For percentage of 47% while Williams and Burakovsky had Corsi For percentages of 52% and 54%. All three of them had Fenwick For percentages below 50%, with Kuznetsov having a Fenwick For percentage at 40% and Williams and Burakovsky had Fenwick For percentages at 47%. Admittedly, the fact that 2 of the goals scored were scored on a power play, which is not reflected in Corsi For and Fenwick For percentages.
It was a great day in Corsi For and Fenwick For percentages for the third line of Marcus Johansson, Jason Chimera, and Tom Wilson. All three of them were at 50% or better in both Corsi For and Fenwick For percentage. Johansson was at 67% in both. Wilson had 58% in Corsi For and 62% in Fenwick For. Chimera had 50% Corsi For and 56% in Fenwick For. The remaining forwards were all under 50% in both Corsi For and Fenwick For. Ovechkin was between 40-50% in both and Backstrom was at 44% in Corsi For, but the remaining forwards were all under 40% in both Corsi For and Fenwick For. Admittedly, the Corsi For and Fenwick For statistics cited are for even strength and the Caps output included 2 power play goals, along with “score effects” happening to, because the Rangers, who were behind for much of the second and third periods, started pushing for more chances.
On defense, the third pairing of Taylor Chorney and Aaron Ness, had the best Corsi For and Fenwick For percentages. Chorney’s were between 70-80% and Ness’ were over 80%. Chorney even chipped in an assist on Justin Williams’ first goal. Orlov had a Corsi For percentage just over 50% but a Fenwick For percentage between 40-50%. Nate Schmidt had both Corsi For and Fenwick For percentages in the 40-50% range. Both Alzner and Niskanen had Corsi For and Fenwick For percentages between 30-40%. It was a rough night for them both, as they had just over twice as many defensive zone faceoffs as offensive zone faceoffs.
Capitals vs Columbus Blue Jackets (January 22)
The Caps won this game 6-3. Team was off to a slow start, being outshot by Columbus by a significant amount during the first half of the first period and fell behind 1-0. However, Caps got 2 goals to go ahead before the end of that period. They opened up a 4-1 lead early in second period. Both teams got another goal during the second period and then still another one during third period, with the Caps getting their last goal on an empty netter.
The Corsi For and Fenwick For percentages for many of the Caps were under 50%. The only forwards with 50% or over in Corsi For were Brooks Laich at over 80%, Mike Richards at 58%, and Michael Latta at 50%. The only forwards at 50% or over Fenwick For were Brooks Laich at over 70%, Mike Richards at 57%, Michael Latta at 50%, and Evgeny Kuznetsov at 50%.
On defense, the only blue liner having both Corsi For and Fenwick For over 50% was Dmitry Orlov who had them around 58%. The rest of the defenseman had Corsi For and Fenwick For percentages between 40-50%, except for Ryan Stanton who had a Fenwick For under 40%.
Capitals vs Anaheim Ducks (January 22)
That game was postponed due to a major snowstorm in the mid-Atlantic region in general and the Washington DC area in particular.
Capitals vs Pittsburgh Penguins (January 24)
That game was postponed due to a major snowstorm in the mid-Atlantic region in general and the Washington DC area in particular.
Overall
This was not a strong week for the team, overall, in Corsi For and Fenwick For percentage. Among the forwards, Brooks Laich had the best overall Corsi For percentage at 59%. Other forwards exceeding 50% Corsi For for the past week were Tom Wilson at nearly 51%. Marcus Johansson was at 50% Corsi For. The forwards with the best Fenwick For percentages for the past week were Tom Wilson at 55% and Jason Chimera at 55% while Johansson was at 52%. The third line was the best in both Corsi For and Fenwick For percentages on the whole, having a much stronger performance against the New York Rangers than they did against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
The best defenseman for Corsi For percentage who played in both games was Dmitry Orlov – at 55% who had a 50% Fenwick For. Orlov had a much stronger game against Columbus than against the Rangers. Aaron Ness was at or over 80% in Corsi For and Fenwick For but he only played in one game before being returned to Hershey. In other words, it was a small sample size.
By Diane Doyle
