WASHINGTON -- All teams value puck possession in today's NHL, but few do more than the Penguins.
The ability to control play and dictate terms has been at the core of their identity under Mike Sullivan.
No matter which zone or side of the ice, though, possession begins at the faceoff circle. While some draws are more important than others, they're all crucial in the postseason where every play is magnified.
"They're huge, especially on special teams," Riley Sheahan was telling me after Saturday's practice at Capital One Arena. "If you can win one on the power play or win one on the penalty kill, that's pretty important. I think it's important to bear down. A lot of it, too, is that the guys that who are on the centerman are helping out and tying up, creating some space for the centerman to win that puck back."
But with a faceoff win percentage of 50.1, the Penguins have been the very definition of average through seven playoff games. Which is to say that they are the much same as they were in the regular season. There, they were only marginally better at 50.2 percent, ranking 15th of 31.
In their 3-2 win over the Capitals in Game 1, the Penguins weren't close to being even average. Washington dominated the dots, winning 57 percent of the draws. The Penguins won just 25 of 58 for a 43-percent win rate, their lowest in the postseason.
Sidney Crosby struggled in particular. The captain won just 10 of his 30 draws (33 percent), which was actually better than Carter Rowney, who won just 1 of 4.
The difference for the Capitals was fourth-line center Jay Beagle, a faceoff specialist, who made the most of his 9:10 in ice time. A right-handed shot, Beagle won 10 of 13 faceoffs (77 percent), including 6 of 7 against Crosby, all in the Penguins' offensive zone (Nick Backstrom took 2 of 3 against Crosby in Washington's zone).
Among players taking 60 or more faceoffs during the playoffs, Beagle leads the league with a 72.6 win rate. That's even better than his regular-season rate of 58.5 percent (584 of 998), which ranked fourth among all players taking 300-plus faceoffs. Only Anaheim's Antoine Vermette (60.0), Buffalo's Ryan O'Reilly (60.0) and Philadelphia's Claude Giroux (58.6) fared better.
Sheahan, who led the Penguins with a 54.4 win rate in the regular season and won 9 of 16 for 56 percent in Game 1, said the Penguins went back to the drawing board after Thursday's game:
"They were good, they have some good centermen, they compete hard on the draw," Sheahan said of the Capitals. "They do a good job of tying up. I think you can watch that and sort of look to see their tendencies and try to adjust, get some help from guys outside the circle, too."
Derick Brassard fared best among Penguins centers on Thursday, winning 5 of 8 for 63 percent in Game 1. Playing a third-line role since being acquired from Ottawa at the trade deadline, Brassard won just 46.9 percent in the regular season, but -- true to his big-game reputation -- has been at 52.0 percent in seven playoff games.
With a chance to take a 2-0 series lead on the Capitals, the Penguins should have Evgeni Malkin back in the lineup Sunday. While the Russian should help out offensively, he's been of little use in the faceoff circle. He's won just 38,9 percent of his faceoffs in the first round.
MATT SUNDAY GALLERY
Penguins practice at Capital One Arena, Washington, April 28, 2018. - MATT SUNDAY / DKPS