The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

The Power Play - The power play unit that scored 85 goals at a 25.2% rate last season should only get better this year with the addition of Mike Knuble. Most power plays see Ovechkin and Green manning the points for at least a minute thirty and the Caps may bring more raw scoring and puck control skill to the table than any other team in the league. So much so that the first unit virtually never does the hard-around dump - electing to gain the blue line with possession. As with many skilled PP units riding a wave of success, there is a tendency to get overly cute - looking for the perfect pass instead of bombing the net with rubber.

The Penalty Kill - For a team that takes way too many penalties the PK has to get better. The good news is that they should have the necessary tools to improve. The PK requires gutsy guys willing to play smart, sacrifice the body and communicate. If the no one on the current coaching staff can improve this facet of the game they need to find someone who can. Pre-season results indicate some level of improvement - we'll have to see if that holds up into the regular season as opposing PP units find their rhythm.

The Ugly - Too many penalties; 414 minor penalties had them well into the League's bottom third. It has to stop and it has to stop now. If BB can't engage the necessary level of discipline to solve this problem there is not much hope for a serious run at the cup. I understand that most of these guys grew up playing the game under a different set of rules (or, at least, interpretations) but its been several years since the league began enforcing the new interpretations. Out of position players have to keep their stick on the ice and move their feet. Call me naive but its really that simple. Putting your stick into someone's mid-section is very close to an automatic call - doing it after you've been beat makes it laughably easy. When taken in the neutral and offensive zones these penalties are just lazy; when taken in the defensive zone its just dumb. We constantly heard how bad penalties were the main topic of discussion during last season's playoff drive but rarely saw offenders held accountable. Get serious about this topic from game 1 and you'll have results soon enough.