The Washington Capitals again look to bounce back from a defeat at the hands of the Blue Jackets, this time against the Devils. How can you follow along, and what to expect?
The Washington Capitals were just getting into another winning streak when they ran into the team which ceased their previous run, the Columbus Blue Jackets.
In this contest the Capitals couldn’t solve the mystery of the Blue Jackets defensive strategy as well as goalie Joonas Korpisalo.
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No matter what the Capitals attempted to break through the wall, the Blue Jackets had just the right answer for every scenario. At every pass through the neutral zone or first pass out of the defensive zone the Jackets had bodies at every window, as they led the way in takeaways with 12 versus the Caps two. Even with a team leading nine shots on goal Alex Ovechkin couldn’t find a solution.
With an opportunity on the power play four times you would expect the Capitals to find the back of the net. But the Jackets were able to hold the Caps 6th best power play unit scoreless. Going back to the days of John Tortorella coaching the Rangers, he has always been one to give the Capitals fits defensively.
But now the Capitals must put this game behind them and look for revenge on the Jackets later, as they look to faceoff with the New Jersey Devils for the first time this year.
Currently, the Devils sit just out of last place in the Eastern Conference with only the Red Wings playing worse. This lead to the Devils to make a move that was expected if they couldn’t compete this year, they shipped out Taylor Hall who is getting ready to enter free agency at season’s end.
After going on a streak of seven consecutive losses the Devils have found the win column over their last two. The first being against the team whom they sent Taylor Hall to boost their offense the Arizona Coyotes, and the second being their first game without Hall on the roster the Anaheim Ducks.
As you would expect the Devils have scored the lowest amount of goals in a tie with the Red Wings at 79 through 33 games. Where they are strong though is in their defense where they have actually only allowed 112 goals placing them in a tie for 7th in the NHL.
Where they will struggle against the Capitals is their power play which is only converting on 13.22% good for the 3rd worst in the league. Even with the good team defense, they also are in the bottom half of the league in penalty killing at 21st with a 78.38% kill rate. Part of the reason their numbers are skewed to show off their defense is they spend most the time without the puck as the team Corsi for is again 3rd worst in the league at 46.7%.
Considering these staggering numbers showcasing one of the worst offensive teams in the league, look for the Capitals to gain their offensive touch again while holding the puck for majority of the game.
The Devils are not to be slept on though as they are riding a two game winning streak and are looking to prove they are not going down without a fight even following a significant move.
Here is how to follow:
Date: Dec. 20th
Time: 7:00 PM EST
Where: Prudential Center
TV Broadcast: NBC Sports Network
Radio: WJFK 106.7 The Fan, Caps Radio 24/7
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