Washington Capitals Look To Dethrone Kings: Game Preview

Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

The Washington Capitals have hit regression, and they have hit it hard. In their last 10 games, the Capitals are 4-4-2, and sit at 60 points. The Los Angeles Kings are 2-4-4 in their last 10 contests, and just like the Capitals, they are looking to turn it around and climb up the standings. This game is very important for both teams, they both desperately need to turn their game around, but one team needs it more. That team is the Capitals, let’s talk about why. The Kings are used to this, sneaking into the playoffs and giving everyone a run for their money. The Capitals are very used to home ice advantage in the playoffs, thanks to the good ol’ Southeast Division. The Southeast division is no more, and the Capitals are in a much tougher Metropolitan Division. Every game from here on out has to be played with a do or die mentality, with the New York Rangers finding their identity and the Florida Panthers (I’m serious) gaining ground.

The blame for the Capitals regression can be put on sloppy defense, slow starts, bad turnovers, and missed opportunities, but a lot of those aren’t the real cause. The schedule the last 2 weeks has been brutal, back to backs followed by more back to backs with little to no rest in between sets can cause some teams to fall behind, and unfortunately for the Capitals, the rough patch in the schedule comes around at the same time other teams heat up. Figures, right? Including this contest with the Kings, the Capitals will play 4 games in 6 nights.

The Kings are not to be taken lightly whatsoever, after all, they are the defending Stanley Cup Champions. On January 26th, the LA Kings placed Mike Richards on waivers. He cleared, his salary and term were too hefty for a team to carry, had his salary not been such a burden, he would have been claimed quick (like the Kings probable goaltender for this game) and would have certainly helped any team.

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Speaking of quick, Jonathan Quick (17-13-10) and Braden Holtby (23-10-9) are your probable net minders for tonight’s game. Quick is one of the leagues best goalies, he’s quick (I’ll stop now) and his reflexes are incredible. Braden Holtby has been the man all year, and will have to continue to be down the stretch for the Capitals to make the playoffs. Look for this game to be a goalie contest, or a one sided affair for whichever team you prefer, it’s up to you. Plenty of teams have tried hard to stab Holtby with their steely knives, but they just can’t kill the beast.

The Kings have won the last 7 contests against the Capitals.

The 3 keys for the Washington Capitals:

Quick start: The Capitals need to score first and hold the lead for longer than 30 seconds. The Washington Capitals are a much better team when scoring first, you know that, every team in the league knows that, so let’s show the Kings first hand just how good we are when we get the first goal. The Capitals have won just 1 game when giving up the first goal. When giving up the first goal, there is nothing the Capitals can do, a total eclipse of the start.

Be the better defense: The Washington Capitals have a very improved blue line, but the Kings have Drew Doughty, and man can that guy play hockey. The Capitals will need to do whatever they possibly can to prevent Doughty from driving play like he does oh so perfectly. Shot blocking and crease clearing is going to be a key factor to the game, LA can hurt you, they seem to score goals in every way you can imagine. The Capitals will also need to keep a close eye on Jeff Carter and Anze Kopitar, or every close eye available.

No penalty box parties: This is starting to be a key every single game. The Capitals can’t seem to stay out of the box and it’s hurting them. While the penalty kill has been excellent, teams are beginning to crack the Capitals with the man advantage. This is an absolute must if the Capitals are going to get back on track and claim a spot in the top 3 in the Metropolitan.

Look for Alexander Ovechkin to stay hot, as he was named the first star of the month of January. Any time of year, you can find him here. Andre Burakovsky and Aaron Volpatti return to the lineup. Also look for Evgeny Kuznetsov to put the biscuit in the basket, that’s my bold prediction.

This next month will decide what happens at the trade deadline, the Capitals are clearly in need of a 2nd line center and a top 6 right winger. With the way the Washington Capitals are playing right now, I do believe you will be seeing some of these guys for the last time in Washington, so enjoy this month of February hockey while you can.

The puck drops at 7:00pm at the Verizon Center, such a lovely place, bring your alibis. The LA Kings will try to storm the castle of the Ovechking, in an important game for both teams. As always, rock the red, let’s go Caps! I told myself I wouldn’t do this, but let’s hope the Kings won’t be livin’ it up at the hotel Washington.

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