Troy Brouwer News

The chart above comes from Rob Vollman 's latest gift to the hockey world, his 2011-12 NHL Player Usage Charts , which you can download - for free - here .

Up until the opening game of the Washington Capitals' Quarterfinal matchup against the Boston Bruins, the general consensus among the media and fan base was that Head Coach Dale Hunter was on the verge of being let go after less than a full season in the nation's capital.

Brooks Laich , Karl Alzner , Dennis Wideman , Jason Chimera , Troy Brouwer , John Carlson , Washington Capitals

MAY 05: Jay Beagle #83 of the Washington Capitals skates down the ice against the New York Rangers in Game Four of the Eastern Conference Semifinals during the 2012 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at the Verizon Center on May 5, 2012 in Washington, DC.

Right now, the NHL is in the midst of an era of remarkable parity. Even 20 years ago, a bad team was a BAD team.

Washington Capitals center Jay Beagle walks back to the locker room after warming up before the Washington Capitals take on the Boston Bruins in Game 4 of first-round playoff hockey at Verizon Center in Washington on Thursday, April 19, 2012.

This March 11, 2012 file photo shows Washington Capitals head coach Dale Hunter, standing right, talks to players as assistant coach Dean Evason, standing left, looks on during a time out in the third period of an NHL hockey game, in Washington.

For quite some time, Washington Capitals general manager George McPhee tried to persuade former player Dale Hunter to return to the team as its coach.

By the time it was over, New York Rangers forward Artem Anisimov was just trying to grab onto other players just to stand up, like a boxer at the end of a round.

With the exception of Mike Knuble , Troy Brouwer and Roman Hamrlik , the Capitals who have suited up in the postseason have never advanced beyond the second round of the playoffs.

At almost exactly 11:01:30, he was back out in the Verizon Center hallway. Amazingly, he was wearing a polo shirt and slacks - as if he were an actor with seconds to make a costume change.

Alex Ovechkin , Nicklas Backstrom , Alexander Semin , Mike Green , Joel Ward , Jason Chimera , Troy Brouwer , Washington Capitals

President Obama has reversed his long-held opposition to gay marriage. Will this change of heart hurt his chances of winning the 2012 presidential election? A team so often draws its mood from its coach, so it wasn't surprising in previous years to see the Washington Capitals tighten up when Bruce Boudreau was under pressure.

Boston Bruins goalie Tim Thomas moves to the puck against Washington Capitals left wing Matt Hendricks during the second period of Game 6 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series, Sunday, April 22, 2012, in Washington.

The Washington Capitals' lives are on the line in a must-win game against the New York Rangers at Verizon Center.

Jay Beagle of the Washington Capitals, left, pushes Marian Gaborik of the New York Rangers in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals.

The dressing room door opened and, in the silence of defeat, the hero of Round 1 sat alone, his eyes staring downward, his words a whisper, expression closer to shock than blank.

The Washington Capitals have killed all but four of the 36 penalties they've incurred this postseason - an 88.9 percent success rate that had them in the top three of second-round playoff teams entering Game 5 against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden on Monday.

Meantime, Mats Zucarrello skated briefly but will not return tonight, according to Coach John Tortorella.

Nicklas Backstrom's passing justifiably draws comparisons to his idol and soon-to-be Hall of Famer Peter Forsberg.