Caps Power Play Still Lethal

Seven games into the 2018-19 season, the Caps trademark power play unit is thriving again. Washington is scoring 38.5 percent of the time on the man advantage, ranking first in the NHL. Ten of the Capitals 29 goals so far have come off the power play.
Standing at his locker, Nicklas Backstrom said the Capitals have established one of the best power plays over the last 10 years.

And the numbers support that sentiment. Since the 2009-10 season, the Capitals' 22.6 cumulative power play percentage (515 goals on 2,281 opportunities) ranks first, 2.1 percentage points higher than the Pittsburgh Penguins, who rank second.
Success comes from all angles. From 2015-16 to 2017-18, the Capitals were one of just four teams to have five players score at least 45 points on the power play. That comes from chemistry.

"This group has played together for a long time now. Kuznetsov and Backstrom are two of the best passers in the world. Oshie, Carlson and Ovechkin are three of the best shooters," said Capitals assistant coach Blaine Forsythe, who oversees the power play unit. "But I think more importantly it's about the reads they make on the ice, how teams play us, what we go through with our scouts, what we feel is going to be available, and then it comes down to execution."
While Washington's power play success has been a collective effort, there have been two constants on the line: Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom. The former is on pace to break the record for power-play goals (274), as he currently sits with 229. The latter has facilitated most of those shots.

Backstrom's assisted the most power-play goals in the NHL over the last seven seasons (161). Only Flyers' center Claude Giroux comes close (146) while no other player has reached 120 in that span. Forsythe credits Backstrom's precision and timing on passes.
"They're easy to shoot, always in the right spot," Forsythe said. "He finds holes that not a lot of guys can force pucks through. And he's patient, which I think makes defenders a bit antsy at times to move their stick out of the lane. He's got an incredible knack to wait for those seams to open."
The most famous seam being the one to Ovechkin at the top of the left face-off circle, his signature spot. Teams began to key in on Ovechkin years ago, scheming to prevent those opportunities specifically. The strategy opened looks elsewhere, ultimately serving to sharpen the Capitals unit.
"That goes back to reads, knowing how teams are going to defend against it," Forsythe said. "We have the ability to adjust. They don't get rattled if a team throws something different at us; it just becomes a different read. That's the biggest thing, their calmness and ability to adjust."