The Washington Capitals take on the Blue Jackets of Columbus in a rematch from last Monday, where the Jackets ended the Capitals winning streak. Will the Capitals exact revenge, here is how to find out and what to watch for.
The Capitals met the Lightning for the second time this season. Even with the immediate onslaught by the Lightning they were no match for the Capitals, as the Caps would go onto win 5-2.
The scoring came from up and down the roster with five different scorers, including Garnet Hathaway on a highlight reel effort.
The forwards balanced attack could only be outdone by the performance from IIya Samsonov who allowed 2 goals on 28 shots, the first being on an odd man rush during a Lightning PP. The second score would have been near impossible to stop while being screened by 5-6 players, and still nearly stopping the puck.
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Other areas which helped the Caps to the win, consisted both of areas of strength and weaknesses for the team. Against the norm, the Caps actually won the faceoff dot with a 52.8 FO% compared to their team average for the season of 49.6 FO%.
The areas you expect them to dominate they did so, they out hit (18-13) and blocked (19-8) the Lightning. Next the Capitals turn their attention to the Blue Jackets in Columbus.
Since ending the Caps winning streak a week ago, the Blue Jackets have failed to capitalize on that momentum. They have suffered losses to the Penguins and the Senators. During their last game, the Capitals appeared to be more flat and not prepared for the pressure the Blue Jackets brought.
Statistically the Caps were sound in their previous meeting with the Blue Jackets, they won the faceoff dot and outhit the Jackets. But they suffered from allowing too many scoring chances and spending 10 minutes in the sin bin keeping them shorthanded too much to garner a better attack. The one positive out of all the penalties was the Caps ability to kill off all the infractions with no goals allowed.
In order to avenge the previous outcome, the Caps will need the same kind of production up and down the lineup like we saw against the Lightning Saturday night. Their team defense will need to limit the scoring chances and keep their heads on a swivel.
The Caps will most likely be going with Braden Holtby in goal, and with no lingering injuries will be fully healthy. Expect the Capitals to bring the pressure early and not allow the Blue Jackets to get the momentum in their favor early.
Even though this is a match up between the top and bottom of the division, it is still a division game which is always a grinding affair. Look for some high octane action with it’s fair share of physicality.
Here is how to follow the action:
Date: Dec. 16th
Time: 7:00 PM EST
Where: Nationwide Arena
TV Broadcast: NBC Sports Network
Radio: WJFK 106.7 The Fan, Caps Radio 24/7
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