ARLINGTON, Va. — It was March, and the Capitals had a problem. On Feb. 26, Game No. 62 in the season, they lost to the Blue Jackets, 5-1.
On the surface, there was nothing debilitating about the loss — Washington's record dropped to 35-21-7, still second place in the Metropolitan Division and fifth overall in the Eastern Conference.
But head coach Barry Trotz knew something was wrong. It was the fifth time in the past 15 days the Capitals had conceded four or more goals in a game, and while their footing in the standings was secure, the Capitals were in the bottom 10 in the NHL in goals against, a shade below three per game.
MORE: Alex Ovechkin, nearing mission accomplished, gets some 'poetic justice'
"He challenged us to better without the puck, because he knew it was going to help us overall, and guys have bought into that," Capitals defenseman Matt Niskanen said. "It’s working."
It started with speaking the same language. It's D.C., where sometimes it can be difficult to get both sides of the table to agree on the interpretation of the law. The Capitals coaches thought they were employing a zone defensive system; the players understood it as a man-to-man scheme.
So Trotz not only challenged his players to improve defensively, but made sure everyone was on the same wave length. Now leading the Stanley Cup Final series two games to one against the Golden Knights, the Capitals' team defense has been a hallmark of its success over the past three rounds.
"It was probably from Game 64, 65 on, we knew that was an area and we corrected it, and we got it going," Trotz said. "We just knew there was another level we could get to. We worked on it for a big part of the last quarter of the season and it started showing results."
In very simplistic terms, the Capitals avoided getting into fewer man-on-man defensive situations. That's the overall team structure, a philosophical decision that emphasized supporting your teammates in different areas of the ice. If a breakdown did happen, there was a safety valve ready to put out the fire.
MORE: Evgeny Kuznetsov's 'Jordan Game' boosts Capitals in Game 3 win
"We just talked about having numbers and layers, and making it difficult," Trotz said. "A lot of the man-on-man coverages you see get broken down, and there are big gaps, and we just wanted to make sure that we didn’t have gaps. This game is about mistakes, and those mistakes can lead to scoring chances. So we wanted to have levels of insulation. We wanted to insulate certain areas of our game and we did it."
But getting into the nitty gritty — the systems stuff that frustrated the Penguins, then the Lightning, and now the Golden Knights — Trotz and Co. have continued to add new wrinkles to what Washington has done in the neutral zone. A seven-game series presents opportunities to make adjustments. And while the opposition has played checkers, Trotz and his coaches have played chess, a Sicilian defense of sorts that has frustrated the hell out of three of the NHL's fastest teams.
"Offensive teams have certain tendencies, certain routes that they take through the neutral zone, plays they like to make, so if you can be on top of them and turn over some pucks, stifle them, make it hard for them to gain entry with possession that frustrates skill players," Niskanen said. "You ask any skill player and they want to have the puck with possession and speed. If you can be in their face, standing in the way, it’s amazing what that does. It makes them puck move the puck sooner than they want to, hold the blue line, make them dump it and then you have good numbers back for breakouts, and we’ve done a good job of that."
And in terms of frustration, the Golden Knights have come to the table in the neutral zone with a handful of chips and left with empty pockets, a true Vegas story.
"I think you do (see how frustrated they're getting)," Trotz said. "You watch how they manage the puck, how they’re trying to change things, and I know there are things they do that have given us some difficulties, and we’ve adjusted, and they’ll do the same."
MORE: On Braden Holtby, 'The Save,' and prayers answered in Game 2
On May 1, the first real postseason wrinkle went into effect. It was Game 3 against the Penguins in the Capitals' second-round series. Yes, the teams were tied 1-1, but the Capitals had sprung a leak in those 120 minutes of hockey. Even though they won Game 2, 4-1, they allowed a whopping 31 scoring chances at even-strength, according to NaturalStattrick.com, perhaps holding their hand a bit too close to the flame and asking the Penguins to burn them.
So the Capitals stayed within that zone concept, but dropped a forward back to the defensive blue line, standing up three skaters on the line. Above them, two other forwards relentlessly hounded puck carriers east-west. Where the Penguins feast off their team skill and speed zipping through the neutral zone, the Capitals dared them to chip and chase, and provided a major road block to that "carry with control" concept.
In Game 3, the scoring chances against at 5-on-5 were reduced to 13, and Washington won that game, allowing a playoff-low 13 shots on goal in that phase of the game in a 4-3 victory.
"it's important to recognize moments when you can pressure, and we don't want to get away from that, where we can send two guys and try to force teams into mistakes," Niskanen said. "But at times when they have full control and they're going to build some speed, I think if you can hold either the red line or the blue line with layers of support, you can force teams into turnovers and we've done a good job of that."
GOLDEN STANDARD
How Vegas became the most successful expansion team in sports history
Next came the conference finals against a Lightning team that also defeated Washington, 4-2 — six days before that February loss against Columbus.
"We're pretty confident in our game," forward Tom Wilson said. "We're able to adapt to different styles. We've got speed, we've got the physical element, we have a lot of skill. Each game is different, each series is different, but if you allow yourself to be tough on the guys that like to feel the puck and like to have time with the puck then it's only going to be a recipe for success."
And while Washington required seven games to get there, it did eventually get past the Lighting, thanks in large to another strong defensive effort. This time, it was a modified version of what they did against Pittsburgh, the two forwards in the neutral zone slightly staggered with those three skaters still right behind at that next level, standing up at the blue line.
"The thing about defending is if you defend well, you have the puck more. You get it back sooner," Niskanen said. "And that's when we're at our best: when we have the puck and we're on the attack."
MORE: Mamma Lucia's fuels Alex Ovechkin, Capitals fans before Game 3
Finally came the Vegas series. The Golden Knights have gotten off to a flying start in their inaugural season, quite literally. Vegas' team speed and ability to go north-south has been paramount in driving its success. And while they zip up and down the ice, it's the Golden Knights' ability to shrink the surface — as Trotz pointed out Saturday — that makes them so hard to play against.
"They have good structure, good personnel; they’re a team that wants to put you in small areas, and pressure you, and create turnovers," Trotz said. "That was an area we focused on."
And once again, it's created favorable defensive results for the Capitals. After allowing six goals in a Game 1 loss in Vegas, something began to look very different about the Golden Knights. The wind was slowly being sucked out of their sails; the trademark speed suddenly being anchored down, smothered by Washington's neutral zone pressure.
When the Capitals weren't playing with the puck on their sticks in Game 3 (which wasn't often; Washington generated a good deal of puck possession) they were aggressively forcing Vegas to give it back. Between the blue lines, when Vegas was able to get going with a full head of steam, the Capitals employed that similar structure — three skaters standing up at the blue line, the two red sweaters in front of them buzzing around like hornets chasing the puck, angling Vegas east and west and forcing the Golden Knights to attempt difficult passes that often missed the mark.
MORE: Alex Ovechkin's career-defining moments, quotes and highlights
"We’ve just got to get back to our game, getting pucks deep and getting in on the forecheck," Vegas defenseman Derryk Engelland said. "It’s been our key all season long, is the five-man forecheck and five-guy pressure all over the ice. We do it for a little bit at a time and then I think we try to be too cute at times and they thrive on the turnovers."
And the Capitals are inviting the Golden Knights to dump the puck at the blue line, but Vegas has to truly commit to attacking Washington that way. Save for a few rushes created by the speed of Jonathan Marchessault and Alex Tuch, Vegas struggled to create any good looks at 5-on-5 in Game 3.
"They sit back, right?" James Neal said Saturday night after Vegas fell behind in a series for the second time this postseason. "We saw that before in the Tampa series. They clogged them up, a skill team. And they transition quick. We know that."
Because in four games against the Kings, six against the Sharks and five against the Jets, Vegas looked the part of that fast team that can take away time and space, forcing rushed decisions like the ones Niskanen said Washington has been so good at getting out of its opponents.
"We have to put pucks in," Neal said. "You have a little bit of time, you think you can make a play, have some room to skate, and then it gets clogged up pretty quick.
"For us, we have to simplify. It's something we talked about. But we're just not there. We're a second late on pucks. Or support. We'll fix it."
If they don't, the pressure might finally get to Vegas.