Top 3 keys to victory for the Capitals against Golden Knights
The Washington Capitals and Vegas Golden Knights go head to head on Saturday night at T-Mobile Arena. To learn how to watch and bet click here. For horrible but maybe not so much fantasy advice click here. Read on to learn the top 3 keys to a Capitals victory as they go for three in a row.
#3 Keep the power play momentum going
If someone told me I would finally be writing for a key to victory to keep the power play going, yeah I’d take it. So would every other Caps blogger. While the Caps still rank 32nd aka last in the NHL in power play percentage, it has jumped up from six percent to 8.5 percent.
They now have five power play goals on 59 opportunities thanks in large part to Tom Wilson as two of his three goals on the hat trick the other night against the Anaheim Ducks came on the power play. Both of Alex Ovechkin’s assists on the night came on those two Wilson PPGs.
Those two power play goals snapped a 12 game power play scoreless drought. The penalty kill was also excellent the other night as they killed off all five of the Ducks power play opportunities.
#2 Anthony Mantha and Connor McMichael line dominance
Whether it’s Aliaksei Protas, Connor McMichael and Anthony Mantha or McMichael, Dylan Strome, and Mantha, those two teammates need to keep playing on a line together. Mantha is getting his confidence back and good teammates make the other better. That is the case with Mantha and McMichael.
The line of McMichael (one goal, one assist), Mantha (two goals, one assist), and Protas (two assists) have accounted for three goals over Washington’s last two games, including both Capitals goals in their 2-1 win over the Los Angeles Kings on Wednesday night.
During the two game stretch, the trio has been on the ice for three goals and just one goal against at five on five, per Natural Stat Trick. Mantha has been red hot as he enters tonight’s game on a two game goal streak. In his career against Vegas he’s scored six points with two goals and four assists.
In the game against the Kings, Protas recorded his third multi assist game of the season and has seven assists in 19 games while ranking third on the Caps in assists this season behind John Carlson with 12 and Ovechkin with nine. Last season it took 41 games for Protas to record his seventh assist.
#1 Continue the momentum from last month
As we’ve talked about before and I’m sure you’ve heard it from other media, last season when the Caps had that hot December they fell flat the rest of the season. They can’t allow that this season.
In the month of November 2023 the Capitals posted a record of 8-3-1 with a .708 point percentage. The stretch marked Washington’s highest point percentage in a month of November since 2019 where they went 10-2-2 with a .786 point percentage.
The Caps .708 point percentage during the month was the third highest in the NHL behind the New York Rangers with .792 and the Los Angeles Kings with .773.
The Caps sit in third place in the Metropolitan Division with a record of 12-6-2 which is good for 26 points and a .650 point percentage. Although they sit in third place, they own the second highest point percentage among Metropolitan teams.
Washington has played the fewest games among Metropolitan Division teams with 20 games played. Nearly a quarter into the season, the Capitals are on pace for 106 points, which would mark a 26 point improvement from last season where they finished with just 80.
More. Top 3 impact Capitals to watch against Golden Knights. light
The Capitals called up Hunter Shepard from the Hershey Bears in what appears to be that he’ll back up Darcy Kuemper in goal. Game time is at 10 p.m. eastern on Monumental Sports Network.