The Washington Capitals had another tough game last night and suffered a 5-1 loss on home ice against a Minnesota Wild team who was on the second half of a back-to-back. The loss is the Caps third in their last six games. After playing some of the best hockey in the league for a majority of March, the Caps have begun to show cracks in their armor here in recent weeks. Today I will touch on the game as well as look ahead to April
Here are the stats from the game:
Shots on Goal:
WSH – 26
MIN – 19
Shots on Goal (5v5):
WSH – 21
MIN – 16
Corsi For %:
WSH – 56.25%
MIN – 43.75%
Corsi For % (5v5):
WSH – 55.0%
MIN – 45.0%
Power Play:
WSH – 0/1
MIN – 0/3
Hits:
WSH – 25
MIN – 24
Blocks:
WSH – 12
MIN – 18
Scoring Chances For:
WSH – 26
MIN – 20
Scoring Chances For (5v5):
WSH – 20
MIN – 18
High Danger Chances For:
WSH– 8
MIN – 6
High Danger Chances For (5v5):
WSH – 6
MIN – 5
My Takeaways:
Vitek Vanecek - I dont think it should come to anyone's surprise that Vanecek is the first on the list. Vitek hasnt just looked bad as of late, he has looked terrible. Last night was a night to forget for Vitek. He allowed 4 goals on 18 shots. He allowed 3 goals on his first 10 shots faced. He saved 6 for 6 low danger chances, 3 for 5 medium danger chances, and 2 for 4 high danger chances. Yes, the defense left him out to dry a couple times, but he also let in some bad goals. Allowing two goals in the first 1:37 of the game to a team on the second half of a back-to-back is simply unacceptable. My greater takeaway from this is that Vanecek is no longer the favorite to be the starter moving forward. Laviolette said today "we've got games down the stretch for a push for somebody to make the case. They'll probably both continue to get games." The number one job is officially back up for grabs. I dont care who takes it just please someone take it. It will be another year of an early playoff exit if the Capitals to not turn this goaltending thing around. With the Islanders surging, it is also no guarantee the Capitals even make the playoffs.
Trade Deadline - The roster has seen quite a bit of minor changes since the trade deadline. Marcus Johansson was inserted on the top line and also on the third line. While I do love MoJo, he has not produced since returning to Washington. He has played 5GP and has produced 0 points with a -4. Not ideal. Daniel Sprong has mostly thrived with increased minutes in Seattle. he scored 3 goals in his first three games but has since gone goaless in his next three. The Caps brought Marcus Johansson supposedly to be a more defensive forward but he has not looked the part. Here is just an example of one of many plays I could highlight.
I know he is not a defensemen but wow that was bad. Johan Larrson finally played his first game for the Capitals since getting acquired at the trade deadline. He was +1 on the night. He did not register a shot on goal but was credited with two hits. We will see where Larrson fits in down the road but 4th line with Dowd and Hathaway seems like a good fit. All in all, these roster additions ultimately forced a guy like Connor McMichael out of the lineup. I really like the McMichael-Eller-Sheary line or even a Eller-McMichael-Sheary combo as well. This is ultiamtely what the Caps coaches had to decide. Is he best at center or winger? The general consensus is that McMichael is more impactful at center. For the Caps, they really cant (or maybe they can) afford to healthy scratch Lars Eller at 3rd line center. With Marcus Johansson at LW, there really isnt a slot for McMichael right now. Sad. The whole situation is a little messy and it doesnt help that the Caps are back to their losing ways. I hope to see McMichael again soon but I generally understand the Caps are looking for a more consistent defensive ability from their third line as well. At least on paper I understand. In reality this is all much ado about nothing if the Capitals can not tigthen up their goaltending.
The Game - The Capitals believe it or not played a decent game! They led in almost every single statistical category. They controlled the "Corsi For %" advantage, they were +7 on shots and only allowed 19 total, they also have more shots and high danger chances at 5v5. Overall it was not a bad game really. The below average goaltending and defensive lapses were just too much to overcome. I said it once and I will say it again, It is absolutely unacceptable to allow two goals in the first 1:37 of the game on home ice against a team on a back-to-back. The Minnesota Wild are an excellent team. They have the 2nd most points in the western conference and are fully capable of doing what they did last night. Heck, I think they could legitimately win the Stanley Cup. From a situational perspective, the Capitals missed a huge opportunity here to get off to a better start in this game.
April Schedule - The Capitals have a really competitive stretch of Hockey in April:
04/06 - vs TBL
04/09 - @ PIT
04/10 - vs BOS
04/12 - vs PHI
04/14 - @ TOR
04/16 @ MTL
04/18 @ COL
04/20 @ VGK
04/22 @ ARI
04/24 vs TOR 04/26 vs NYI 04/28 @ NYI
04/29 @ NYR
There are a ton of competitive teams on the docket for April. If the Islanders keep winning and the Capitals keep losing, the home and away against the Islanders on 04/26 and 04/28 could have playoff implications. Sounds crazy to say but its true.
Lets hope the Caps can get back in the W column on Wednesday against the Lightning. Thanks for reading and GO CAPS
Washington Capitals Blogger • 
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