Puck 'N Hockey

The Caps should respond positively to the coaching change. (photo credit: AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

The start of a new era. Not a new arena or a group of players. It’s the start of the Dale Hunter era in the Capitals organization. The Caps appeared to have tuned out Bruce Boudreau. Coaches are generally the first to go. After that, players start to get moved if improvements aren’t made. Then, there is typically a house cleaning of sorts. Talk was heard this summer about making major moves to add to this team that didn’t show the effort in the post season. Those moves came in the form of signing key free agents. Despite the  early jump the Capitals got off to changes still had to be made. It just shows that the NHL is a performance based game. Teams either show a downfall after a coach gets relieved of his bench duties or experience a massive lift.

Perhaps the Caps will experience the latter and get the boost the Penguins did in 2009 with their march to the Cup after Dan Bylsma replaced Michael Therrien. The first test for the Caps will be a team in a similar situation only a few steps ahead. The St Louis Blues visit the Verizon Center and boast a 7-1-2 record in their last ten games thanks to the return of coach Ken Hitchcock to the NHL. This isn’t the same Blues team that many saw early on and will be a good test for the Caps. Coaching performances have always been based on the performances of their players. The Caps haven’t been performing up to the level expected out of them.

Match Up: The Blues made a massive turn around in a short amount of time. The record in the last ten games speaks volumes to the message being passed around by Ken Hitchcock. The Blues have played a more strict defensive style but have still been able to bring a physically punishing, offensive element to their game. Only four players on the Blues have a negative rating on the season as they are held more accountable in their own zone. In the net, Brian Elliot has really turned in a great year in the early absence of Jaro Halak. Halak struggled as did all the Blues early on. When Hitchcock took over he attempted to play Halak more but quickly turned to Elliot. On the season, Elliot has 10 wins in 11 starts, a save percentage of .951 and a sparkling goals against average of 1.31. Scoring is improving as David Backes, T.J. Oshie and Alex Steen all have 15 or more points for the season.

X Factor: This will be the first game in the post Bruce era for the Caps. As I said, Coaches are judged by the performance of their players. The Capitals have been playing lazy hockey up to this point. Relying on natural talent and skill only gets a team so far. At some points in the season the players were putting in minimal effort which gets you minimal results. The leaders on this Caps club have to be held accountable now for their actions. Pieces are in place for them to succeed, it’s just a matter of them actually lacing up the skates and doing so. Here’s to hoping the Caps have a massive push tonight against the Blues. The whole Capitals team must come out with a massive fire to regain their early season success.