The Washington Capitals take on Metro Division rival the Philadelphia Flyers in the second of a back to back docket. They will need to show up with the amount of intensity they finished with against the Senators.
The Washington Capitals started a back to back schedule with a undeniable win against a struggling rebuilding Ottawa Senators team by a score of 6-1.
This included standout performances again from the typical candidates with 2 goals apiece from Oshie and Ovechkin, 2 assists each for Wilson and Carlson, and finally Samsonov stood on his head for a 0.963 SV% while allowing a single goal.
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The outcome is what should have been expected, but this was the perfect case for the Capitals to overlook their opponent. But the Caps showed they were capable of getting down early and re-organizing between periods enough to take a commanding lead.
After the Caps continued to add to their lead right away in the third period, it made the first period seem like a fluke on the part of the Senators to have had control. However, the Senators should be commended for their effort throughout the entirety of the contest even at the point when the Caps were looking to add to their 5 goal lead.
A key observation came while watching the eventful conclusion, where the Capitals kept Oshie and Ovechkin on the ice in an attempt to get one of them a hat trick. Most would look at this as just piling on, but looking closer it showed the Capitals were preparing for their next game against a stronger opponent in the Flyers.
While the Flyers will give the Capitals a tougher opponent, they are currently having a rough go as they have dropped 4 of 5 while taking on their Western Conference counterparts.
This includes a stretch of three straight losses. They will be looking for an advantage against the Caps by getting back home for the contest, where the Capitals hold a 0.333 win percentage at Wells Fargo.
Although their only other game this season ended with the Capitals as winners in a shootout while having the home ice advantage. It turned into a goalie standoff with both, Carter Hart and Braden Holtby, only allowing one goal apiece before it meant a shootout was necessary.
To keep this game from needing the extra time, the Capitals will need to bring the intensity they left off with in their game against the Senators. They will be again leaning on Braden Holtby to keep the Flyers at bay from the score sheet.
He will need all the help the Capitals can give him in front of the net in clearing the screens which have been a problem lately and usually is the reason for goals allowed.
Provided the Capitals come out the way they did in the second and third periods against the Senators they will not have an issue producing high quality scoring chances that will produce results. This will be a very even match up and the team with the right execution of their game plan and adjustments will come out on top.
Here is how to follow this rivalry:
Date: Jan. 8th
Time: 7:30 PM EST
Where: Wells Fargo Center
TV Broadcast: NBC Sports Network
Radio: WJFK 106.7 The Fan, Caps Radio 24/7
Streaming: ESPN+ has a free 7-day trial that includes live streaming for this game on all your smart devices! Besides NHL games, ESPN+ features a selection of live games from MLB, MLS, Serie A, FA Cup, and EFL. Get in on the action with Live UFC Fight Nights, 30+ Top Rank Boxing cards, Grand Slam tennis from Wimbledon, US Open and Australian Open.