|
WSH 2, NYI 0 - Vanecek Posts Third Career Shutout |
|
|
|
|
|
Hello All,
The Washington Capitals returned to action after another lengthy break. The Caps won 2-0 over the New York Islanders at UBS arena. The Caps have now won four straight games against the Islanders dating back to last season. Three of those four wins were shutouts.
Here are the stats from the game followed by my takeaways:
Shots on Goal:
WSH – 36
NYI – 23
Shots on Goal (5v5):
WSH – 31
NYI – 13
Corsi For %:
WSH – 57%
NYI – 43%
Corsi For % (5v5):
WSH – 64.47%
NYI – 35.53%
Power Play:
WSH – 0/2
NYI – 0/3
Hits:
WSH – 20
NYI – 26
Blocks:
WSH – 11
NYI - 14
Scoring Chances For:
WSH – 28
NYI - 27
Scoring Chances For (5v5):
WSH – 24
NYI - 19
High Danger Chances For:
WSH – 9
NYI – 9
High Danger Chances For: (5v5):
WSH – 8
NYI – 7
My Takeaways:
Goaltending Rollercoaster - Vanecek posted his third career shutout and second career shutout against the Islanders. We last saw Vanecek in relief against the Bruins where he allowed 3 goals on 15 shots. His last start was December 19th against the Kings where he allowed 3G on 24 shots. Tonight Vanecek looked sharp and poised. He stopped all 16 even strength shots against and more importantly all 7 shots he faced on the Islanders PP. I give Vanecek a solid “A” grade for the effort today. Vanecek will likely get a majority of the starts moving forward. Maybe a 70-30 or 60-40 split. Samsonov has been so up and down this season, especially as of late.
5v5 –The Capitals had another great game at 5v5. Tom Wilson’s goal in the first period was the Capitals 90th 5v5 goal of the season in 38 GP. The Islanders rank last in the league with 42 goals at 5v5 in 30 GP. The Capitals 64.47 “Corsi For %” certainly was a huge difference in the game for the Capitals. The Islanders seldom had anything going and when they did, defense and goaltending were there to stifle any chances they had. Scoring chances and high danger chances were relatively even at all strengths and 5v5.
Special Teams – The Caps again went scoreless on their two power plays on the evening. The Caps continue to sink in the league PP standings. They are now 29th in the league with a 14.3% conversion rate on the power play. The Islanders sit at 21st in the league with a 18.3% conversion rate. The Capitals and Islanders both have above average penalty kills ranking 9th and 11th in the league. The Islanders were able to generate 7 shots on their first two power plays tonight but failed to register a shot on power play in the third period when they were down a goal. Considering the Capitals struggles on the power play and both teams strong PK’s, its no surprise there were no power play goals tonight.
Honorable Mention:
-Ovechkin scored his 25th goal of the season on an empty netter as time was about to expire. Ovechkin now sits 2nd in the league in goals. Behind Draisaitl. Edmonton has played four less games than the Caps so Draisaitl has a good chance at extending his goal lead. Ovechkin has six EN goals this season. They are making more effort than ever to get him the puck at 5v6.
-Tom Wilson scored his 10th goal of the season. Wilson is having one of his best seasons of his career. He is on pace for 54 points which would be a career high. Tom Wilson is elite.
-The Caps are now 7-2-1 against the metro division this season
Next Up, the Caps faceoff against the Canucks on home ice TOMORROW at 2pm again. The Canucks just lost to Hurricanes 4-1 but shots and scoring chances were closer than the score indicated. Unless Demko plays again, the Caps might see Spencer Martin in net for the Canucks. Halak is in COVID protocol (good catch by one of my followers "Summer of 2018" on twitter.
Thanks for reading, GO CAPS
***********************
Stats and Facts provided by:
nhl.com/stats
hockey-reference.com
naturalstattrick.com
@CapitalsPR Twitter page
***********************
Follow me on Twitter @HB_Capitals
Washington Capitals Blogger • 
Join the Discussion:
»