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It's a lonely number that represents the total number of shots on Marc-Andre Fleury on the Power Play. The Capitals had 5 chances on the PP and generated 1 shot. This can in part be due to Joe Motzko's fumbling of the puck on the point, or the power play setup of having Alex Ovechkin sitting out in space rather than moving into a shooting channel. It could be because two of our best set-up men, Nicklas Backstrom (5 assists) and Michael Nylander (3 assists) are on the second-line of the Power Play passing to each other. Perhaps it's because Mike Green (4 points), who's shown flashes of offensive brilliance is still being confined to the second line behind a career AHLer who's perceived to have a "hard shot."
In any case, this game against Pitt was the epitome of the Cap's offensive woes. Inability to cycle the puck, no movement without the puck, and the inability to set up a clear shot. This season, the Caps are 4-35 with the man advantage and have NEVER scored on a 5-on-3, despite having several extended chances. Even though the Caps have added the offensive talent, it does not appear to be used correctly. Viktor Kozlov (2 goals) hasn't gotten a point since the Caps' last win and seems to be useless as a set-up man to Ovechkin. Meanwhile, that top line is without a premiere right wing (Motzko and prospect Tomas Fleischmann, which has allowed other teams to gang up on Ovechkin.
If the Caps want to snap their losing streak and find their offensive identity, they must generate more offensive chances then they have.
In any case, this game against Pitt was the epitome of the Cap's offensive woes. Inability to cycle the puck, no movement without the puck, and the inability to set up a clear shot. This season, the Caps are 4-35 with the man advantage and have NEVER scored on a 5-on-3, despite having several extended chances. Even though the Caps have added the offensive talent, it does not appear to be used correctly. Viktor Kozlov (2 goals) hasn't gotten a point since the Caps' last win and seems to be useless as a set-up man to Ovechkin. Meanwhile, that top line is without a premiere right wing (Motzko and prospect Tomas Fleischmann, which has allowed other teams to gang up on Ovechkin.
If the Caps want to snap their losing streak and find their offensive identity, they must generate more offensive chances then they have.
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