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Round Robin Game #2 - Caps vs Flyers |
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Before diving into the game today versus the Flyers, here is a quick recap from the game against Tampa Bay on Monday:
This game collectively was not the best effort from the Capitals. They didn’t have the jump and desperation that you see some of these qualifying round teams exhibiting on a nightly basis. As a result, they trailed 0-2 early in the second period. It took a TJ Oshie scrap to get the boys fired up. After that fight late in the second, the Capitals outshot the lightning 6-0 to finish the period and got two quick goals from Panik and Kuzy. The Caps ended up outshooting the best five on five team in the league for the rest of the game 17-8. They had plenty of chances to win it but ultimately fell short in the SO. A point is nice but two would have been better.
Opinion - At this point, I really don’t care or have ever cared about where the Capitals end up in the final round robin standings. All I care about is seeing some consistent and strong fundamental hockey that can translate to postseason success. We have seen flashes of GREAT hockey in the two games played so far but just not enough consistency for 60 minutes from the Caps.
Caps vs Flyers:
1. Season Series - The Capitals were 1-3-0 against the Flyers during the regular season. The lone win was early in November. More recent results and trends paint a much clearer picture of the disparity of the two clubs leading up to the pause. The Flyers absolutely destroyed the Capitals in their final two matchups. On February 8th the Flyers won 7-2 and it was UGLY for the Caps. On March 4th, The Flyers won again but this time 5-2. The Flyers were the hottest team in the league on paper ending the season 9-1-0 and it showed in these two matchups. Factoring in the end of the regular season and the Flyers strong play so since the restart, recency bias says the Flyers could very well handle the Caps today. I would also argue they may be the favorites to win it all.
2. Special Teams – During the Regular season matchups, the Capitals went a collective 1 for 17 on the Power Play (ouch) while the Flyers went 4 for 16. The Capitals have really struggled on the power play all season and have steadily dropped to the bottom half at the league at 19.7%. This postseason the Capitals power play is 1 for 9 including the exhibition game. I am hopeful they are able to get some real PP flow going in these final two games but with Carlson being out, it makes it that much more difficult.
3. Other News and Notes - John Carlson is practicing but is likely to sit-out again tonight. Carlson being out hurts the team and the power play but one of the luxuries of being in the round robin is being able to rest players who need to get healthy. Lars Eller has left the bubble to be with his family for the birth of their second child. Congrats, Tiger!
That’s all, folks! Thanks for reading. Enjoy the game(s) today. Go Caps!
Washington Capitals Blogger • 
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