Disappointing Centers

The Washington Capitals and New Jersey Devils have both gotten off to slow starts this season, and while there is no one cause that can be attributed to the lack of success, one major factor is the disappointing efforts so far by the top-line centers. Nicklas Backstrom and Travis Zajac have combined for two goals, six assists, and a -1 +/-  in 17 games. Backstrom, who usually plays with Alex Ovechkin, scored 101 points last season in only his third year in the league. Zajac, 25, put up 67 points last year but was expected to benefit from centering a line with Zach Parise and Ilya Kovalchuk. Recently the teams that receive excellent production from their centers (think the Pittsburgh Penguins with Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Jordan Staal or the Detroit Red Wings with Pavel Datsyuk, Johan Franzen, and Henrik Zetterberg) have had the most success. Backstrom and Zajac will be keys for the Caps and Devils if they want to have success throughout the season and in the playoffs, and both will have to step up their production from the level they are currently at.