The Washington Capitals take on the Philadelphia Flyers on Broad St, two great offenses will see which will bend but not break and come away with a win.
The Washington Capitals are hitting the road after sealing a big win against a struggling team, with a 5-4 OT win against the New Jersey Devils. In the beginning it appeared the Capitals would roll right over the Devils while piling up a 4-1 lead heading into the third and final period. But just like in standard Capitals fashion they allowed the Devils back into the game by allowing three unanswered goals in the 3rd period. Thankfully for the Capitals their hottest player found a way to will them to a win, Jakub Vrana would pot the winner in OT.
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While this game wound up as a win, the Washington Capitals will need to figure out how to better seal a win. Once the Capitals allowed the first goal by the Devils in the 3rd, it appeared the Capitals had entered cruise control to allow this to happen. At this point the team showed that they were attempting to make up for the mishap, but at that point they had given over momentum to the Devils. The Devils found new life with only a two goal lead with most of the final period to go. By the time the final tally in the 3rd was scored it could be seen on the Capitals faces along with their body language, that they had no answer.
After nearing a win by a shot from Carl Hagelin at the end of the period, this helped give the Capitals the motivation needed to carry into overtime. It only took a minute and a half into the extra period for the hot stick of Vrana to find paydirt and pull the Capitals collective rear-ends out of the sling they created. Next they will get a crack at the Flyers in Philly, will they continue their offensive output but with the ability to finish what they get started?
Unlike their most recent game against the New Jersey Devils, the Washington Capitals will be facing off against another of the better offenses in the NHL. Currently the Capitals sit 7th for GF/G at 3.28, while the Flyers are in 8th place with a 3.26 GF/G average. How would the Devils, who are 27th with 2.50 GF/G, manage to score more than that in the 3rd period alone against the Capitals? This happened because while the Capitals have been one of the better offenses they also hold one of the worst overall team defenses where they allow the 9th most GA/G at 3.12. Lucky for the Capitals, the Flyers are nearly in the same position with a 3.09 GA/G (11th).
This creates a scenario with a ton of offense and minimal defense. Either teams best chance at stopping the other is for their goalie to step up and play a big role in halting one of the top ten offensive units. For the Capitals, their best bet is to lean on the pads of Ilya Samsonov who has only faced the Flyers twice with one start. Samsonov has a 0.974 SV% and 0.83 GAA, while this is a small sample size it is largely better than Vaneceks numbers against the Flyers where he has a 0.714 SV% and 6.56 GAA in one game. For the Flyers their choice isn’t as straight forward as their hottest goalie this year, Brian Elliot, holds some less than ideal numbers against the Capitals with a 0.895 SV% and 3.09 GAA; much different then his 2021 numbers of 0.919 SV% and 2.29 GAA.
Can the Capitals get and hold a lead on the road against a heated rivalry? Here is how to find out:
Date: March 10, 2021
Time: 7 p.m.
Where: Wells Fargo Center
TV Broadcast: NBC Sports Washington
Radio: Caps Radio 24/7
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