Top 3 key Capitals to watch against Flames
The Washington Capitals take on the Calgary Flames in game two out of 82. The Caps are not only looking for their first win of the season but their first goal of the season. Who gets that elusive first goal is the big question.
The Caps are 43-44-13-3 all time against Calgary. Washington has earned at least one point in nine of their last 10 home games versus the Flames with a 6-1-4 record and in seven of their last eight games against them overall with a 6-1-1 record.
The teams split the season series last year with each team winning on their home ice. This is the first of two meetings between the teams this season.
#3 T.J. Oshie
T.J. Oshie is now in his ninth season with the Capitals. He needs 42 more games to reach the 1,000 game mark. Oshie has recorded 18 points with nine goals and nine assists in his final 21 games which averaged to 0.86 points per game. That included 16 points with eight goals and eight assists in a 14 game stretch form Feb. 14 to March 15. That’s an average of 1.14 points per game.
Oshie skated on the top line once again with Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom during Sunday’s practice. Today was an optional skate.
#2 Darcy Kuemper
Congrats to Darcy Kuemper and his wife on the birth of their new child, his first kid! That is why he was absent on opening night as his wife welcomed their new baby into the world the night before. At the beginning of Sunday’s practice, Kuemper’s teammates welcomed him back with stick taps.
Tonight he makes his season debut. In 12 career games against the Flames, Kuemper has a record of 7-2-1 with a 1.71 goals against average, a .951 save percentage and four shutouts. That included a 32 save shutout on Nov. 25, 2022 on Black Friday at Capital One Arena where the Caps prevailed 3-0.
The .951 save percentage marks the second highest save percentage Kuemper has against a single franchise and the second lowest goals against average he has against one team.
Kuemper appeared in 57 games for the Capitals last season which tied his single season career high in games played, tying the previous year when he won the Stanley Cup with the Colorado Avalanche.
Tonight the defense will have to step up after they failed to do so on Friday night with Charlie Lindgren in net. They allowed a four spot on the Pittsburgh Penguins and that won’t fly against a good Flames team.
#1 Matthew Phillips
Matthew Phillips made the opening night roster and 100 percent deserved it. It was a question as to whether he would start the season in the lineup Friday night and not a healthy scratch. But on Friday the team made the paper transaction of sending Aliaksei Protas to the Hershey Bears allowing both Phillips and Anthony Mantha to play on the fourth line.
Now Protas is back with the Caps and both him and Phillips in the lineup while Anthony Mantha is the healthy scratch. Phillips will play once again on the third line alongside Dylan Strome and Sonny Milano.
On Friday the 13th against the Penguins, it marked Phillips’ Capitals debut as he logged 11:21 minutes of ice time and registering one shot on goal.
Tonight has the potential to be a revenge game for Phillips. He is a Calgary native who spent seven years in the Flames organization but only had three games in the NHL with them under his belt.
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That included two games with the Flames last season. He was a sixth round pick with the Flames at 166th overall back in 2016. He shined with their AHL affiliate the Calgary Wranglers last season as he recorded 76 points in 66 games with 36 goals and 40 assists.