Trotz: Capitals taking fewer penalties due to 'situational discipline,' less 'whining'

The Washington Capitals are staying out of the penalty box more effectively under new coach Barry Trotz.

Washington averaged 11.7 penalty minutes last season, but that number has dropped to 9.5 after 19 games in 2014-15. Trotz believes a large part of the improvement is due to a change in focus away from the officials.

“The situational discipline is better,” Trotz told Chuck Gormley of CSN Washington. “I think our bench is better. Our focus early in the year, if things weren’t going well, it was directed at the referees. I said, ‘Enough. Let’s just worry about our game.’"

It's difficult to blame Capitals players angling for a few extra calls considering their power play has been among the league's most effective units since the start of 2013, but that isn't the style of hockey Trotz wants his team to play.

Every hit, every "maybe" call, everybody was whining about no call because they wanted to go on the power play. I’m like, "Just play. Let the referees do their job, we’ll do our job." ... It’s OK to get hit in this league and get bumped around once in a while. It’s ice hockey.