The Washington Capitals looked an awful lot like the dangerous team the hockey world expected last night, handling the New York Rangers 4-1.
Alex Ovechkin (two assists) and Alexander Semin (two goals) were a big part of that, prompting Jason Chimera to provide a very frank assessment of the team’s chances without those two snipers to CSNWashington.com’s Chuck Gormley.
“Ultimately, if we want to win a Stanley Cup we need them going,” Jason Chimera said. “I think they know that. We gave the fans a glimpse of what we could be. Everyone else can be going, but if those two guys are not going our team is pretty useless.”
For years it seemed like the Capitals knew what they were getting from Ovechkin while Semin was the wild card. Now both seem unreliable, which can be seen in the fact that the Rangers game was Ovi’s first multiple point contest since Nov. 4.
Growing pains
To some extent, it might come down to the Capitals’ growing pains as they continue their debatable transition from an unabashed attacking team to a more traditional system. If you ask John Erskine, guys like Ovechkin and Semin must commit to the not-so-glamorous rigors of the dump-and-chase.
“If they’re going down 1-on-3 we need those skill players to dump the puck instead of trying to deke everybody out and you basically have no chance,” defenseman John Erskine said. “[Wednesday] night, it was not just them, everybody was buying in.”
Finding the right compromise
Last night’s win wasn’t a testament to grinding opponents to a turnover-prone pulp, though.
Instead, it showed how well Ovechkin and Semin can play when they’re engaged and proactive, making great passes rather than trying to do too much (like going one-on-everyone). It was an exhibition of smooth puck movement and lightning-fast decision making, not just buying into the dump-and-chase.
What do you think, though? Should Ovechkin and Semin chip the puck in by default or should the Capitals continue to try to find a compromise between two extremes?
