#1 Shut them down
The Caps defense and goaltending has been a big part of their turnaround. Their 3-0 win on Nov. 14 over the Vegas Golden Knights marked their first shutout of the season. The Caps have outscored the opposition 11-3 over their last three games and have allowed 37 goals against through 14 games this season which is the third fewest in the NHL. That’s an average of 2.64 goals against per game.
The Caps blocked a season high 32 shots in their 4-1 win over the New York Islanders on Nov. 11 which marked their highest single game total since Feb. 4, 2016 which was 33 blocked shots also against the Islanders.
This season the Capitals rank sixth in goals against per game with 2.64. They also rank 12th in penalty kill percentage at 83.3 percent and tied for 12th in blocked shots with 259 through games played Nov. 16.
Their penalty kill has also dramatically improved. After starting the season 15 for 22 with a success rate of 68.2 percent, the Caps have killed off 20 straight opposing power play opportunities over their last nine games. During the nine game stretch, the Capitals have been shorthanded a league low 18 times and have taken the fewest penalties in the NHL with 23.
Those are the top 3 keys to victory. Puck drop is at 7:30 p.m. on Monumental Sports Network.