The Washington Capitals are one of the most talked about teams in the National Hockey League. But in the new season, a lot of questions arise for the capital. What's going on with the team? What is she counting on? Why does Alexander Ovechkin score so few goals? What is the reason for the terrible power play?
There are practically no answers to them. And if there are any explanations for the strange results and unclear play of the Caps, they are only theoretical and speculative. Even journalists who cover the life of the club around the clock are at a loss. This is a special test for new Washington coach Spencer Carbery, and it is unknown whether the 41-year-old specialist, who is spending his debut season in the NHL as a head coach, will cope with it. But he added another headache to them, which is associated with Evgeny Kuznetsov.
The Russian striker is not spending this championship the way he would like. In 19 matches, he scored 9 points (4+5) and is sent off quite often, not holding back his emotions on the court. In the last game against the Vegas Golden Knights (1:4), Kuzya, for example, switched to mixed martial arts techniques and did not finish the match at all, as the coach sat him on the bench. The Russian already watched the next game from the stands.
“He needs a mental reset. He's been struggling to find his game lately. I think this is a good opportunity for him to take a step back, reset and focus on getting his game back to what it can be,” Carbery said. , explaining his decision to send Kuznetsov to the reserve.
But the match that Evgeniy missed showed that a “mental reboot” was probably needed not by the Russian, but by the entire Washington team. Yes, the prerequisites for the defeat from the Arizona Coyotes – a club that just recently was laughed at by all of America – were there even before the opening face-off. Still, the “coyotes”, who had gained momentum, even with less than optimal lineups, beat all the last Stanley Cup winners in the last four matches: “St. Louis Blues”, “Tampa Bay Lightning”, “Colorado Avalanche” and “Vegas Golden Knights”. Now it's the Capitals' turn. But no one expected that “Arizona” would openly mock the “capital”.
Already in the first period, the Coyotes scored five unanswered goals against the Caps within ten minutes. Moreover, the first two were from the very first two shots on target. Absolutely everything worked for Arizona. Including the majority, which was converted on the first try by one of the main NHL newcomers, Logan Cooley. Even before the start of the season, the 19-year-old Pittsburgh native admitted that as a child he supported Washington, and his idol was Alexander Ovechkin. And while Ovi doesn’t score well, and the Capitals don’t score a power play, Cooley showed a master class right in front of his favorite childhood hockey player.
The Coyotes also scored in the minority. In the second period, Alexander Kerfoot and Nick Bjugstad managed to go 2 on 0 and easily beat Charlie Lindgren, who replaced Darcy Kuemper during the first period and missed the same amount as the Canadian.
In the end, Washington lost modest “Arizona” in all key indicators: score, percentage of faceoffs won and shots on target. The last time the Capitals lost so heavily in the NHL championship was more than five years ago: in October 2018, the Caps lost to the New Jersey Devils by a similar score. I’m just wondering with what facial expression Evgeny Kuznetsov watched this. Did Spencer Carbery really help his club by removing one of the team's main center forwards?
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