Top 3 keys to victory for the Capitals against Avalanche
The last time the Washington Capitals played the Colorado Avalanche was on Nov. 19 where the Caps fell on home ice 4-0. They’ll look for a better result for tonight but how?
For more on how to watch and bet on the game click here. For more on Alex Ovechkin being a game time decision, click here.
The Avalanche started off hot but have cooled off. But they have won five in a row so they are on fire right now. They have a 25-17-3 record with 53 points, good for fourth place in the Central Division.
They are one point ahead of the St. Louis Blues and one point behind the third place Minnesota Wild. They are two points back of the Calgary Flames in the second wild card spot.
Here are the top 3 keys to victory:
#3 Bounce back like Drake
The Caps are 11-3-1 this season in games following a regulation loss and they’ll look to bounce back from a 6-2 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights.
Since the start of the 2020-21 season, Washington is 36-17-5 in games following a regulation loss. During that same span, the Caps have a record of 19-8-2 in games following a loss by three or more goals.
From April 9, 2021, to Jan. 26, 2022, the Capitals went 60 straight games without suffering consecutive regulation losses, the third longest such streak in franchise history.
#2 Special teams
The Caps will look to get their special teams going. They currently rank 19th in the NHL in power play percentage with a success rate of 20.5 percent. On the penally kill, the Caps are seventh in the league with a shutdown rate of 81.6 percent.
The team had an optional morning skate today so here’s what the units looked like on Daily Face Off.
PP1: Tom Wilson, Nicklas Backstrom, Marcus Johansson, Alex Ovechkin (game time decision), Erik Gustafsson
PP2: Sonny Milano, Dylan Strome, Conor Sheary, Dmitry Orlov, Evgeny Kuznetsov
Now for the penalty kill units.
PK1: Lars Eller, Tom Wilson, Martin Fehervary, Dmitry Orlov
PK2: Evgeny Kuznetsov, Marcus Johansson, Nick Jensen, Trevor van Riemsdyk
If Alex Ovechkin does indeed play tonight, it would help out the power play tremendously. He leads the Caps with nine power play goals. T.J. Oshie is second with five power play goals. Evgeny Kuznetsov and Marcus Johansson each have four. Dylan Strome has three. Conor Sheary and John Carlson each have two. Anthony Mantha and Tom Wilson each have on.
Sheary leads the Caps in shorthanded goals with two. Johansson and Carlson each have one.
The power play went 0 for 3 the other night in Las Vegas.
#1 Road momentum
The Caps will look to continue to play well on the road. They have won nine of their last 11 road games with a 9-2-0 record dating back to Dec. 5.
Since Dec. 5, the Capitals have outscored opponents 45-26 on the road. That’s 4.09 goals for per game and 2.36 goals against per game. In addition, Washington has converted on nine of 27 power play opportunities with a 33.3 percent success rate and have killed off 28 of 33 opposing power plays which is 84.9 percent.
The Caps’ 37.5 power play percentage on the road during that stretch is the third highest in the NHL, while their 84.4 percent penally kill percentage is the sixth highest.
The Caps have won seven straight road games from Dec. 5 to Jan. 5 with a 7-0-0 record, which established a new franchise record. The Caps have a road record of 56-27-11 since the 2021 season.
During that stretch, Washington ranks tied for first in the NHL in road wins, second in road points with 123 and third in point percentage with .654.
Top 3 key Capitals to watch against Avalanche. light. More
Last season Caps fans took over Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado. Look for the same tonight as they look to create a home ice advantage in a road environment. Colorado is a cool place to travel to and is definitely on a road trip bucket list.