Lane Lambert provides Capitals with clue to a kill
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Version 0 of 1. When the Washington Capitals’ penalty-kill unit is on the ice, you’ll find assistant coach Lane Lambert standing on the bench, looking for an unobstructed view of the action. In practice, he’ll stand off to the side, but he’s heard nonetheless — especially when one of the killers in a white jersey successfully swats a black disc away. “You notice that, yeah,” Nicklas Backstrom said. “That’s his thing, and he wants to be involved a lot. He’s an intense guy, and that’s a good thing for us. He gets us going. It gives us extra energy.” Lambert takes pride in the penalty kill, and the Capitals feed off of that. With Lambert leading it for a second season in Washington, the team’s penalty kill ranks seventh in the league with an 86.1 kill percentage. The Capitals have coughed up just five goals in 36 times shorthanded, employing an aggressive system devised by a detail-oriented coach. “I want the players to care, and they want me to care,” Lambert said. “It’s just kind of a hand-in-hand thing.” When the Capitals are called for a penalty, Lambert springs to action, gathering his players on the bench and emphasizing any change the unit might have made entering the game. Most of the work has already been done, as Lambert provides the penalty killers with detailed pre-scout reads for each team’s power play. [Caps bounce back with 4-1 win over Bruins] No power play is the same, so while the foundation of Washington’s penalty kill will stay the same, there are subtle changes each game. In intermissions and right after a penalty is called, Lambert will remind his penalty-killers of what breakout defense they’re employing and what looks the opponent’s power play will want. “The penalty kill is his baby,” said Brooks Laich, who leads Capitals forwards in shorthanded minutes. “He’s in control, and you can feel it on the bench when the penalty comes. He sort of takes charge. … As soon as there’s a penalty, he kind of triggers on and brings a lot of passion and emotion on the bench. It feeds into our players and what they do and the result on the ice.” The offseason departures of Troy Brouwer, Joel Ward and Eric Fehr hit the penalty kill hardest — all three had at least 100 shorthanded minutes — but the Capitals added more forwards of varying experience to the fray. T.J. Oshie, for example, logged more than 95 shorthanded minutes in St. Louis last season; Justin Williams has more penalty kill time so far in 12 games than he did all of last season in Los Angeles. Tom Wilson’s new penalty-kill responsibilities, meanwhile, mean so much to him that he’s been more mindful about not getting penalized so that he can be available when others are. “When you don’t execute, you’ll hear about it,” Laich said. “When you do execute, you’ll get a pat on the back.” The penalty kill struggled at the start of last season while players were getting adjusted to Lambert’s new system, but it was humming by the playoffs, when the Capitals allowed just three power-play goals across 32 shorthanded shifts. Laich said some tweaks have helped Washington prevent seam passes, which essentially cut the ice in half for an opponent’s power play. In turn, that makes things more predictable for the penalty kill and life easier for the goaltender, who then doesn’t have to slide from post to post. [Washington power play returns to life after slump] Jay Beagle said one big difference with Lambert’s penalty kill system than other ones in which the Capitals have played is the elevated level of aggressiveness whenever there’s a “trigger moment.” Lambert said you know the penalty kill is being aggressive when it’s overloading, with three of the four Washington players in one corner. “In the past with different coaches, when one guy’s pushing or pressing hard, not everyone goes, so they can relieve that pressure,” Beagle said. “With him, he likes us when one guy’s going and you feel that pressure moment — everyone goes, and it’s a four-man unit. With him, it’s cool because it’s a unity thing where everyone’s on the same page and we all go at the same time.” During a morning skate at Madison Square Garden, Lambert repeatedly slapped his stick on the ice while his penalty kill was in an intense intrasquad duel against Washington’s power play, traditionally one of the league’s best. But Laich ultimately poked the puck, and it scooted down the ice, eliciting cheers from Lambert. “The guys that play it take a lot of pride in it,” Laich said. “It is equally as important to keep a goal off the board as it is to score one on the power play. Penalty kill can make a difference in the game, and it can make a difference in the season. It certainly can make a difference in a series.” |