Washington Capitals Week 12 Preview: Rivalries Renewed

Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

The Washington Capitals had a relatively easy week last week. This week will be much more difficult for the Washington Capitals. In the three games they’ll play this week, they’ll be taking on two current playoff teams who are also division rivals, including the best team in the Eastern Conference. I think this week is a very important week for the Washington Capitals. For better or for worse, this week will be a good measuring point as to where the Capitals stand.

Monday: Washington Capitals Vs. Ottawa Senators

The Washington Capitals will face the Ottawa Senators at home on Monday. This is  by far the most winnable game of the week for the Capitals, so getting two points here would be huge. Winning this game is easier said than done though, as the Capitals have struggled at home (6-5-4 record at home this season). Luckily, the Senators have struggled on the road this season (7-9-3 record). Hopefully the Capitals can take advantage of their “easiest” game of the week. The Capitals are clearly the better team. They have scored more goals (95 to 89) , allowed less goals (85 to 92), and have a clear advantage as far as puck possession (51.0% CF% to 47.4% CF%). The only question might be between the pipes, depending on which game Justin Peters starts. I’d start him in this one as opposed to Tuesday’s game against the Rangers. Rangers are a division rival so that’s clearly a more important game for the Caps.

Worth noting: The Senators have three players who have played over 100 minutes with an even strength CF% better than 50%. Meanwhile, the Capitals have 15.

Comparison of goaltenders of the Capitals and Senators:

X-axis label is cut off. It measures unadjusted save percentage. Courtesy of war-on-ice

Tuesday: Washington Capitals at New York Rangers

Tuesday is when this week starts becoming difficult for the Washington Capitals. This is a huge game for several reasons. First of all, this is a division game, and pretty much every division game is important. Secondly, both teams are battling for a playoff spot. Neither one was able to take advantage of the other team’s slow start, but now they’re going at it neck and neck. Both teams are playing extremely well, so a win could mean a lot to the team that wins and potentially be crushing to the team that loses.

The goalie match up, despite what most people might think, will likely be a pretty even one. I think that’s more of a compliment to Braden Holtby than it is an insult to Henrik Lundqvist. They’re both extremely good goalies. They have been virtually the same goalie this year, as proven by this chart:

Holtby and King Henrik are basically the same goalie this season. Courtesy of war-on-ice

Really looking forward to this game because it should be a great one. One factor to keep an eye on: the Rangers made

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look silly last season in the playoffs. The Rangers have extremely fast and quick skaters so they’re likely to attack Orpik again. Orpik isn’t fast, so this match up isn’t a very good one. Can the Washington Capitals make adjustments to stop this? If they can, that would go a long way to ensuring a Capitals win. Also,

has to solve the Rangers. He’s struggled against them (particularly

) in the past. They’re likely going to double team him whenever possible. Ovi has to be smart enough to draw the double teams and create space for

and

.

Saturday: Washington Capitals at Pittsburgh Penguins

I’m willing to bet that the Washington Capitals have had this date circled on their calendar for quite some time. The Capitals and Penguins already didn’t like each other. Add Matt Niskanen and Orpik joining the Caps into the equation and this rivalry just got a lot more intense. The Penguins are the best team in the Eastern Conference. The scary thing? They’ve been bitten very hard by the injury bug. So why have they been so darn good? Well, for one thing, I’m sure having Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin helps. Those are two elite centers who could probably turn me into a 20 goal scorer. The biggest reason, though, is a huge surprise considering how most hockey fans viewed him before this season: Marc-Andre Fleury. As good as Holtby has been, Fleury has been borderline Vezina good.

Comparison of Holtby and Fleury. Courtesy of war-on-ice

Holtby will have to be at the top of his game to beat Fleury. We all know Fleury’s going to be elite. He’s been elite all season long. Holtby has at times been elite. He’ll have to be elite for the Washington Capitals to win on Saturday.

Overall, I’d be satisfied with four points. The Washington Capitals must get at least two points though. Even if the Caps don’t beat the Rangers and Penguins, I want them to at worst be competitive. What do you think? What do you expect the Capitals to do this week? Let me know in the comments and thanks for reading!