Finding good balance difficult for center Capitals center Nicklas Backstrom is a playmaker. No matter how long he lasts in the NHL, that description will not change. And with a goal-scoring machine like Alex Ovechkin playing alongside him on Washington’s top line, it is a decidedly good trait to possess.
But while Backstrom’s skill at setting up goal-scoring chances can leave even teammates and coaches gushing, there still are times he should be more selfish on the ice. Why move the puck for another opportunity when you have one right in front of you? It’s a conundrum every top playmaker puzzles over. What is the proper balance between passing and shooting?
“You do tell guys a lot to shoot more, but it’s ingrained in their DNA,” Caps coach Bruce Boudreau said. “They’re just great passers, and they see the ice so well and they’re so unselfish with the puck that they probably have to tell themselves, ‘Shoot more, shoot more,’ because it’s not a natural thing.”
Backstrom admits as much. Entering Tuesday’s game against the Dallas Stars at Verizon Center, he is tied for the NHL lead with 13 assists. Twice Backstrom has finished a season third in assists. As a rookie in 2007-08 he was 11th overall. Last season — even after missing five games and playing for weeks with a painful broken thumb — he still managed 47. That was a career low. But only 16 players had more.
Backstrom is off to a fine start this season, shaking off his struggles from last spring, when he managed just three goals and 11 assists over the final 25 games, including the Stanley Cup playoffs. The initial injury happened Feb. 21 against Pittsburgh.
So far, Backstrom also has five goals and leads Washington with 18 points. The 23-year-old Swede was named the NHL’s Third Star on Monday after posting two points in each of his team’s three games last week, including the game-tying and game-winning goals on Nov. 1 against Anaheim.
“You play better when you’re healthy, and I was struggling a little bit there with my thumb,” Backstrom said. “But it wasn’t an excuse last year. Just things that happen that you have to deal with. Honestly, I feel better now.”
Yet for all the flak he takes about passing up his own scoring chances, Backstrom has improved in that area. He scored 33 goals on 222 shots in 2009-10, after all. Among NHL centers, that shot total ranked 13th. Last year he dipped slightly to 202 — but his 2.62 shots a game were virtually indistinguishable from the 2.71 he fired on goal the year before. Compare that to Backstrom’s rookie year, when he managed just 1.87 shots a game. That upward trend has continued this season. While still setting the table for his teammates, Backstrom has 34 shots on goal in 12 games. That pace equals 2.83 shots a game — or a career-high 232 if he plays in all 82.
