Hello All,

While game one against Buffalo last night was a sloppy offensive affair, game two was quite the opposite. Game one produced 10 total goals and game two produced just three total. The Capitals were able to escape Buffalo with a 2-1 win while being outshot 31-21

Here Are My Key Takeaways:

Welcome to the NHL, Vitek Vanecek!– In his first NHL start, Vanecek looked like a seasoned pro. What an effort from the Capitals young goaltender. He moved well laterally all night, played square, and challenged pucks at the top of the crease when it was appropriate. It was a very technically sound game from Vanecek. If you are a frequent reader of the blog, you know I have been beating the Vanecek drum for quite some time now. Vanecek stopped 30 of 31 shots. He stopped all seven shots against the five Buffalo Power Plays. The only goal he let in was a fluky deflection on a shot from the point. I give Vanecek a “A+” grade for the game. It will be interesting to see who starts in net against Pittsburgh on Sunday at noon. I think it will still be Samsonov. While Vanecek has certainly earned strong consideration, Samsonov has more experience and also has experience against Pittsburgh from last season. Vanecek will likely get the nod in game two against Pittsburgh.


Jake “The Snake” Vrana Stays Hot – For whatever reason, Jakub Vrana has been a scoring machine against Buffalo in his career. He has scored six goals in his last 11 games against, including four goals in the last four games dating back to last season. In fact, Jakub Vrana’s first career NHL goal was scored at Buffalo on December 6th, 2016. Vrana’s 2019-2020 campaign ended on a sour note as he went pointless in the playoffs against the Islanders to end last season. It is nice to see Vrana turn the tide and start the 2020-2021 season scoring goals and building back his offensive confidence. Vrana is easily a 30-40 goal scorer in a full NHL season.


Penalties – Did anyone else have a flashback to the 2019-2020 season. If you forgot, the Capitals led the entire NHL with 267 minor penalties last year. They were second worst in the league last year with 4.26 penalties taken/60minutes behind the Rangers. While it’s still a small sample size, the Capitals lead the league with nine minor penalties through two games. The Rangers took eight minor penalties in their lone game against the Islanders on Thursday. The Capitals simply need to be better and more disciplined defensively.


My Three Stars of the game:

1st Star: Vitek Vanecek – First NHL Win, Stopped 30 of 31 shots. Stopped all seven shots on the PK.

2nd Star: Tom Wilson – 1 G, 1 A, 4 Hits

3rd Star: Jakub Vrana – 1 G

The Capitals are the better team on paper compared to Buffalo generally speaking. The Capitals may be the oldest team in the league, but they have lots of elite talent who can still produce at a high level. While it was not a perfect, the Capitals got it done against Buffalo and secured all four possible points. The Capitals took care of business in what is likely going to be the most competitive division in the NHL. Every point counts, and I am happy the Capitals didn’t let any opportunities slip away in this mini-series.


Thoughts on this game or the Capitals first two games?

As always, thanks for reading. Go Caps!

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