The Washington Capitals suffered their worst loss of the season last night to the St. Louis Blues. They conclude their road trip tonight against the Minnesota Wild. The Caps are 5-3-1 in back to back sets, a 3-1-0 record in the second game of back to backs, and a 1-0-1 record following a loss in the first game of a back to back.
The Caps fell to the Blues 5-1 with the lone goal from Daniel Sprong as it was a frustrating night in goal for Ilya Samsonov. Samsonov was pulled in the third period and Zach Fucale stopped every shot he faced after that. Look for him to get the start tonight in goal, the second of his career after he had a shutout on the road against the Detroit Red Wings. We’ll know when Peter Laviolette talks to the media at 5:45 p.m. eastern time.
The Caps not only had trouble at five on five but, to the surprise of no one, struggled on the man advantage as they went 0 for 3 on the power play. Connor McMichael was also a healthy scratch so it’ll be interesting to see what Laviolette does with the lineup tonight.
The Caps strength has been the penalty kill. In fact, while the Caps power play has struggled over on the other end the team has not allowed a power play goal to the opposition in five straight games. They killed off 14 consecutive penalties since Dec. 19.
During that stretch, Washington is one of just two teams to have played at least five games and kill off every penalty. The New Jersey Devils are 10 for 10. The Caps currently rank tied for seventh in the NHL in penalty kill percentage at 83.2 percent.
The Caps have five shorthanded goals this season which is tied for third in the NHL. It’s also more than double their total in 56 games last season where they had just two. Evgeny Kuznetsov, believe it or not, has been an effective penalty killer. The Caps have outscored their opponents 5-4 with him on the PK. He recorded a point on four of the five shorthanded goals with two goals and two assists.
Date: Saturday Jan. 8, 2022
Time: 8 p.m. eastern
Where: Xcel Energy Center
What Channel Is The Capitals Game On: NBC Sports Washington
Radio: Caps Radio 24/7 and 106.7 The Fan
Betting Odds: The betting odds on WynnBET have the Capitals as -1.5 favorites on the road against the Wild. The moneyline is set with Washington at -115 and Minnesota at -105. The over/under for tonight’s game is 6.0.
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