That appears to be the conclusion reached by head coach Barry Trotz, at least, after the defenseman - who was acquired from St. Louis prior to the trade deadline - was called out following a Game 2 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Trotz on Shattenkirk: "That's not good enough for what we need in that third pairing right now. Minus-7 is hard to recover from." #CapsPens
Shattenkirk, who's being paired with Brooks Orpik, has recorded three power-play assists in eight playoff games, along with 24 shots, and the minus-seven rating Trotz referred to.
He is set to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1, and his play for the Capitals this postseason isn't doing much to boost his stock.
Braden Holtby has the full support of his head coach.
The morning after pulling his star goalie from a Game 2 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins, Washington Capitals bench boss Barry Trotz maintained the belief that the reigning Vezina Trophy winner will help the team climb out of a deep and troublesome series hole.
"There's no question he's our starting goaltender," Trotz said, per Katie Brown of NHL.com. "He'll be the difference in the series."
Holtby allowed six goals on 35 shots over the first two games of the series, and sat out the third period of Game 2 in lieu of Philipp Grubauer after posting a save percentage of .829.
He'll need to be at his very best in order for the Capitals to win four games and snatch the series away from the Penguins.
Just like that, the New Jersey Devils are set to be the center of attention this summer.
Coming off a season in which the Devils finished well down in the NHL standings, the team's fortunes appear to be shifting, as evidenced by Saturday's NHL draft lottery win. Couple that with the possible return of Ilya Kovalchuk, and New Jersey general manager Ray Shero is primed for a franchise-altering offseason.
While this year's draft doesn't feature the likes of Connor McDavid or Auston Matthews, general manager Ray Shero is set to have his choice between two pretty good young centers in Nolan Patrick and Nico Hischier.
And thanks to some other wheeling and dealing in recent years (and pending any moves made before the draft), the lottery pick will be the first of nine New Jersey selections in Rounds 1-6, per Cap Friendly.
Those prospects will be added to a haul of nine reeled in at last year's draft, and another five the year before.
All of this since Shero took over the job in 2015, leaving no doubt as to what his strategy is for revamping the Devils' lineup: build through the draft and add all the young talent.
Kovalchuk windfall
(Photo courtesy: Action Images)
In an interview with Sportsnet's John Shannon in advance of Saturday's draft lottery, Shero confirmed he plans to reach out to Ilya Kovalchuk's agent to see if the "retired" Russian forward - who's been playing in the KHL for the past four seasons - is indeed interested in returning to the NHL.
Seeing as the Devils are indeed deep into the rebuilding process, it seems unlikely that Kovalchuk would want to resume playing in New Jersey.
As TSN's Bob McKenzie recently explained, in order for Kovalchuk to play for another team, he would first have to sign a new deal with the Devils and then be traded, according to the protocol laid out by the Voluntary Retirement List.
A sign-and-trade scenario, then, would allow the Devils to work out a deal with the highest bidder, with draft picks and prospects - and perhaps a much-needed young defenseman - no doubt serving as the base asking price.
The Devils, of course, already have some big pieces in place, namely Cory Schneider, Taylor Hall, and Pavel Zacha. But as a result of the lottery win and with a potential Kovalchuk deal on the horizon, an influx of talent appears imminent, thereby bringing Shero's Devils to a place of relevance faster than expected, if the cards are played right.
The Edmonton Oilers will host the Anaheim Ducks for Game 3 on Sunday after building a 2-0 series lead on the road, victories in which superstar center Connor McDavid was limited to a single assist.
As far as head coach Todd McLellan is concerned, McDavid is doing all the little, less glamorous things that help teams win in the playoffs.
"He's the leader of the team that has two wins," McLellan said, per Marc Ciampa of the team's website. "He's drawn numerous penalties throughout the series and we've only played two games. He has taxed the other team's checking forwards and put their D under stress. He's opened up ice for his teammates.
"His will to fight through it rubs off on our group throughout the lineup. I think he's doing a very good job of dealing with playoffs, dealing with checking. ... He's adapting to it. He's adjusting to it. He's figuring out ways."
In eight postseason games, McDavid has recorded two goals and three assists, with four of the five points coming either on the power play or shorthanded.
That the Oilers are winning despite the dip in McDavid's numbers is a testament to their depth, and fair warning to Anaheim and potential future opponents to be wary of a breakout.
In helping his team win Game 2 of a series against the Washington Capitals, the captain recorded a pair of assists, one of which was sparked by a key blocked shot that led directly to what would stand as the decisive strike.
Here's how it happened.
With Washington down by a goal late in the second period, center Marcus Johansson (90) entered the offensive zone in search of the equalizer. Crosby (87) can be seen as the first forward back, about to cross the blue line with a view to lending support to his defensemen.
Johansson stopped along the boards and decided to drop the puck back to Justin Williams (14). Crosby, with an eye on Johansson, put himself in position to quickly pivot and turn his attention from the center to the winger.
And as Williams prepared for a shot attempt, Crosby dropped to his knees to block it.
Williams' shot bounced off Crosby's knees, at which point the latter looked to get back to his skates in pursuit of the puck. Crosby, however, appeared to be tripped up by the Capitals forward, who clearly sensed danger.
Undeterred while laid out on the ice, Crosby poked the puck to Jake Guentzel (59), who was then able to cleanly exit the zone and fly down the ice on an odd-man rush with Bryan Rust (17).
Ever the humble superstar, Crosby didn't see anything special about his effort to set up what stood as the game-winning goal.
"Everybody knows that's part of it," he said of blocking shots, per Tom Gulitti of NHL.com. "Everyone's got to kind of do their part, depending upon their position and the situation. I don't think anybody overlooks that. I think we all understand how important it is to do different things and those details. A number of guys were blocking shots and doing all those things, so that's great to see."
Crosby's willingness to battle at both ends of the ice isn't lost on head coach Mike Sullivan, however.
"He's the best 200-foot player in the game, in my estimation," Sullivan said after the win. "He plays at both ends of the rink. He defends as well as he plays with the puck and creates offense.
"I've gained so much respect for him as a person in the time that I've been coaching him. That's something that I think you don't really gain an appreciation for a guy unless you get to see him on a daily basis."
The Penguins now head back to Pittsburgh with a 2-0 series lead, following two road wins, with Crosby and Co. well on the way to defending their 2016 Stanley Cup championship.
Holtby was replaced by Philipp Grubauer to begin the third period after surrendering three goals on 14 shots, including a soft one to Penguins forward Jake Guentzel late in the second period.
The Capitals now travel to Pittsburgh facing the possibility of being put on the brink of elimination after winning the Presidents' Trophy as the NHL's best regular-season club.
Washington has lost eight of nine series against the Penguins in their history, and Trotz knows rallying against the defending Stanley Cup champions won't be easy.
"We're going to have to go places we haven't gone before to beat this team," Trotz said.
Game 3 is scheduled for Monday night at Pittsburgh's Consol Energy Center.
Matt Niskanen got a bit testy with reporters Saturday night.
The Washington Capitals defenseman wasn't in the mood to divulge how his team reacted in the dressing room after losing 6-2 on home ice, surrendering a 2-0 series lead to the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game 2 of their second-round matchup.
The Capitals took a little longer than usual to open up the dressing room after the blowout loss that ensured they'll be headed to Pittsburgh in a 2-0 hole.
T.J. Oshie also declined to specify what was discussed, but said it was made clear from the Capitals' leaders how the club needs to move forward, according to ESPN's Craig Custance.
Washington's star goaltender, Braden Holtby, was pulled to start the third period after giving up three goals on 14 shots in the first 40 minutes. However, Niskanen isn't too concerned with how the reigning Vezina Trophy winner will handle it.
After the most dreadful season in the shootout era, Saturday's draft lottery was supposed to provide the lone glimmer of hope this year for the Colorado Avalanche as they look to the future.
It didn't. In fact, it provided the exact opposite.
Owning 18 percent odds to win the first overall pick, general manager Joe Sakic sat and watched the New Jersey Devils, Philadelphia Flyers, and Dallas Stars leap into the top three, pushing Colorado into the worst possible outcome of selecting No. 4.
Despite the disappointment, Sakic isn't viewing it as a negative result.
"I don't think it's a setback," Sakic said according to Terry Frei of The Denver Post. "When you're picking one to four, you're going to get a good player. We had 18 percent, we knew there was just as good a chance of not being picked (in any of the three lotteries), and that's how it turned out."
Sakic and the Avalanche don't appear to be missing out on a Connor McDavid or an Auston Matthews, as this year's draft isn't said to be nearly as star-studded, but with a chance to catch a break, Colorado was dealt one extra, painful blow heading into the first offseason of the impending organizational tear-down.
The rebuild could have been kickstarted at the trade deadline, with star forwards Matt Duchene and Gabriel Landeskog said to be on the market. Sakic wanted a king's ransom for either of them, and a top pick in the fold this June surely would accelerate the possibility of pulling trigger on a deal in the offseason.
Of course, it's a long-term picture. Colorado has much bigger problems than picking No. 4, and a slightly later pick doesn't slam any window of opportunity to get better in a few years.
It's no guarantee, but it's highly likely Nolan Patrick or Nico Hischier would have a better chance of slotting into Colorado's roster in October over whoever the Avalanche grab at No. 4. And now, whatever lies ahead in the future of Duchene and Landeskog, the pressure on Sakic to orchestrate an appropriate, highly-beneficial deal for either player grows with less ammunition at his disposal.
There's no quick fix for this Avalanche roster, and after the way the lottery balls fell on Saturday, it may take a little longer yet.
