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Capitals through four games |
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Hello World!
Here is a quick regular season catch up for the Capitals through four games with three takeaways from each game:
Game 1: Capitals 3, Blues 2 (OT)
Record: (1-0-0)
Home: (0-0-0)
Away: (1-0-0)
1. Early Adversity - The Capitals weathered the early storm for the Blues home opener and banner raising night. The Blues came out flying! After allowing two goals on the first three shots against him, Braden Holtby stopped the final 19 he faced.
2. The Great 8 - Ovechkin showed us he still has some tricks up his sleeve. He took the offensive zone entry pass from Carlson and shot faked/deked his way around Jay Bouwmeester to put a shot past a partially screened Binnington. Always nice to see him score a goal outside of his “office”.
3. Jakub Vrana - He looked like one of the best players on the ice all night. He scored the OT winner and appears to have taken another step forward this year. Love his speed and he seems to be playing with more confidence.
Game 2: Capitals 2, Islanders 1
Record: (2-0-0)
Home: (0-0-0)
Away: (2-0-0)
1. NHL Debut - It was the first professional NHL game for the Caps top goalie prospect, Ilya Samsonov. He was first goalie selected and 22nd overall in the 2015 NHL Draft.
2. Crazy Bounce - Samsonov only let it one goal in his debut and it was a wacky quadruple deflection across ice. Yes, a quadruple deflection. This Russian bro essentially put up a shutout on the road in his first pro game during the Islanders home opener. Not bad at all.
3. Samsonov’s Future - Keep an eye on Samsonov’s numbers and progression this year. Braden Holtby will be a UFA after this season and will likely demand top dollar. He has similar/better numbers than Bobrovsky and has a cup. Expect a similar contract unless he takes a home team discount. Holtby 100% deserves a massive contract but the Capitals simply cannot afford a Bobrovsky type deal. It is worth noting the Capitals will need to also work out a deal for Nicklas Backstrom who is a UFA at the end of the season.
Game 3 Capitals 2, Carolina 3 (OT)
Record: (2-0-1)
Home: (0-0-1)
Away: (2-0-0)
1. Blown Two Goal Lead - Yes, the Capitals blew a 2-0 third period lead but the reality is, we could have easily been down 2-0 in the first period had it not been for Holtby. Canes had a couple breakaways and he shut them both down. I think the hockey gods got this game right, Caps didn’t deserve the full two points here.
2. Power Play Struggles – The Capitals went 0-6 on the PP and failed to convert on a 4-3 in overtime. Ouch.
3. Fourth Line Success – The 4th line has been buzzing the first three games. Caps newcomers look like they are already adjusting well. Garnet Hathaway scored against Carolina and could have had two if the second wasn’t correctly called back. I really like what this line has been doing through three games.
Game 4: Capitals 3, Dallas 4 (OT)
Record: (2-0-2)
Home: (0-0-2)
Away: (2-0-0)
1. Early Effort Not Rewarded – The Capitals outshot the Stars 27-11 through two periods and were firmly controlling pace of the game. They failed to capitalize on this control of play and only lead 2-1 heading into the third frame. This would come back to haunt them. Credit Bishop for playing well and keeping his team in it.
2. Another Blown Lead – That’s two blown third period leads through four games. Leading 2-1, the Capitals let this game slip away and were very much outplayed in the third period. Down 3-2 in the final minute, it took a miracle extra man goal by Backstrom to tie the game and secure a point. We are very fortunate to walk away with a point here.
3. Kuzy Time – In his first game back after serving his three-game suspension, Kuzy started strong and buried a nice backhand on his first shot 4:49 into the game. It is great to see him score early in his first game back. His production dipped last season and if the capitals have hopes of returning to the Stanley Cup, Kuzy will need to get back to his 2018 playoff form. You could have made the argument he deserved the Conn Smythe trophy over Ovi (His 32 points to Ovi’s 27).
General Takeaways:
If would have told me we would have six out of eight possible points through the first four games, I would be super excited and I am. When you break down the two losses in overtime, they were both missed opportunities. All in all, the team is playing well but just needs to tune up a few things. I am not concerned about the special teams woes just yet. The Caps always seem to have a top PP and there is no reason to think it won’t be that again this year. A veteran team like this will figure it out. It’s a long season. The remaining October Schedule is fairly challenging, so I hope they figure it out sooner rather than later!
Remaining October games:
10/10 @ Nashville Predators (2-1-0)
10/12 @ Dallas Stars (1-3-0)
10/14 vs Colorado Avalanche (2-0-0)
10/16 vs Toronto Maple Leafs (2-1-1)
10/18 vs New York Rangers (2-0-0)
10/20 @ Chicago Blackhawks (0-1-0
10/22 @ Calgary Flames (1-1-1)
10/24 @ Edmonton Oilers (3-0-0)
10/25 @ Vancouver Canucks (0-2-0)
10/29 @ Toronto Maple Leafs (2-1-1)
By Brian S.
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