Three keys: Stopping the unstoppable play

Alex Ovechkin has scored 608 goals in his illustrious career, a full one-third of them (208) on the power play.

Of that 208, 207 of them came from the left faceoff circle. Nah, just kidding. But it does seem that way doesn't it?

If Wayne Gretzky's 'office' was behind opposing teams' nets, then the left circle is Ovi's domain. While many right-handed shots have flourished from the left dot -- Brett Hull and Steven Stamkos stand out -- no one is more lethal from that area than Ovechkin, the 19th-leading goal scorer all-time, and his blistering one-timer.

According to icydata.com, 19 percent of his goals have come from the left dot (all situations):

In the Capitals' season-opening 7-0 rout of the Bruins on Wednesday night, Ovechkin was at it again. From a hair above the left circle, the Capitals' sniper scored on the power play at 4:18 of the second period in vintage fashion on this cross-ice pass from Nicklas Backstrom:

Naturally, this begs the question: If everyone knows it's coming and they've known it's coming since the 2005-06 season, how come no one can stop it?

This question, too: What can the Penguins do tonight in their opener to prevent it?

I asked Riley Sheahan this morning about Ovechkin and the Washington power play which converted at 22.5 percent in the regular season and a remarkable 29.3 in the playoffs:

 

Jack Johnson is also no stranger to Ovechkin's blast. Before taking out the Penguins last spring, the Capitals eliminated Johnson's Blue Jackets in the first round (though, infamously, he didn't play).

"He'll stand there and wait for his chance," Johnson said. "But what makes that work is that Backstrom is just so dangerous from the other side. Backstrom can beat you so many different ways. He's really been an underappreciated player for them for a long time, I think. His passing is second to none."

2. Mind the pinch. 

Everyone remembers all the Capitals' odd-man breaks in the playoff series this past spring. Some will also remember a mounting sentiment in the hockey world that Mike Sullivan's system of pinching defensemen had been exposed by Barry Trotz.

It's entirely possible that neither was true. The Penguins actually became much better at getting back after Game 1, and they insist, to a man, there was nothing wrong with the system that some smarter choices would have saved.

"Did Washington solve us? I wouldn't say that," Olli Maatta told me this morning. "It just comes with execution. Pinching is a read. You always want to keep the puck in the offensive zone. You want to keep the pressure on. Now, there are times in the game where maybe the forwards are in a bad position, and there's a danger. But you always want to be thinking about keeping the puck in the zone."

And is the stretch pass, such as the multiple home runs on which Washington connected early in the playoff round, the antidote to pinching?

"I think that, again, comes down to the read," Maatta continued. "You don't want to sell the farm. But there's 10 skaters out there. You can't let one guy hanging out by the red line or cheating be the one who changes what you do."

Trotz won't be behind the bench, obviously. His assistant, Todd Reirden, was promoted to head coach. But the Capitals' system is wholly unchanged, by all accounts, and that makes perfect sense given the result they just attained.

The Penguins haven't changed, either, as they illustrated all through camp and the preseason.

It'll be fascinating to see that play out tonight. Keep an eye on Evgeny Kuznetsov in particular. No one on the Washington side is more effective at stretching the rink. -- Dejan Kovacevic

3. Shoot the puck

I won’t apologize for the simplicity of that statement because it’s flat out true. The Capitals are coming off an absolute high of winning the Stanley Cup, eliminating any and all banner memes by lifting a championship token above the ice last night, and scoring seven goals while shutting out their opponent in said emotional opener. It’s yet to be seen if the Penguins will face Braden Holtby, who earned the shutout last night, in the second of back-to-backs, or if they’ll get Pheonix Copley — who would be making his second NHL start. But, since the only Capital to make an appearance at PPG Paints Arena to participate in any semblance of a morning skate here was Copley, let’s assume it’s the 26-year old from Alaska.

Getting down to it, the Capitals don’t overshoot the puck, but they sure are efficient when they do (see Bradford's entry above). They finished their Stanley Cup regular season second in the league in shooting percentage at 10.76%, just .06% off the league-leading Lightning. The Penguins ranked 11th in that regard, at 9.56%, but outscored the Capitals simply by way of generating more chances. The Capitals goaltending in 2017-18 was simply just better than the Penguins and allowed them to win the league despite being outshot on the season by more than 200 attempts.

If the Penguins are to take advantage of a goaltender who has only seen NHL ice twice, and catch a team traveling after putting the exclamation point on their Stanley Cup win, it’s going to be by possessing and shooting the puck with a bunch of guys who like to do so. Looking at you, Evgeni Malkin and Phil Kessel … it’s time to put those preseason smiles to use. -- Matt Sunday