Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports
Number Three: Devils, Coyotes, Canadiens, and Wild vs. Washington Capitals
WHEN: February 20th through February 26th, 2016 (20th, 22nd, 24th, 26th)
WHO: New Jersey Devils, Arizona Coyotes, Montreal Canadiens and Minnesota Wild
WHY: The Washington Capitals will face two playoff hopefuls during their four game home stand. While the Caps also face two likely last place teams in the Devils and Coyotes, they can’t afford to take them lightly.
The Coyotes and Capitals split their two game series last season. The Caps will look to beat a team that will likely be in contention for the number one overall pick come April. The Coyotes do have Oliver Ekman-Larsonn, one of the best blue liners in the NHL. They also have Mikkel Boedker, who scored the game winning goal in their first meeting last season.
The Caps did not do well against Montreal last season, as they only won one of their three match ups. The two games that the Capitals lost against the Canadiens were both low scoring affairs. They lost the first game 2-1 in overtime and the second game 1-0 in overtime. However, the third game was a high scoring affair, with the Capitals winning 5-4 in a shootout.
The Washington Capitals and the Wild split their two game series in 2014. The Caps lost the first game 2-1, but won the second game 3-2. The Wild haven’t really improved their team this off-season, but they should still be an excellent team.
Next: #2: Finishing Strong