The Washington Capitals are a hot team in hockey standings wise and statistically. But in order to be the best you have to beat the best. The defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers come to town so let's break down the top 3 ways the Capitals can come away with a win.
Puck drop is Tuesday night at 7 p.m. on Monumental Sports Network. You can alos listen to the game on 106.7 The Fan or Caps Radio 24/7.
This will be the seocnd of three meetings between the teams this season as the Panthers return to COA on March 22. The Capitals took the first meeting 4-1 on Nov. 25.
In that 4-1 win it was a 1-1 tie entering the third period with Lars Eller providing the only goal for Washington. Jakob Chychrun gave the Caps the lead for good with a power play goal. Eller and Ivan Miroshnichenko put the game away with empty net goals.
Here are the top 3 keys to a Caps win:
#3 Improve the PK
While the Capitals will enter Tuesday's game ranked third in the NHL in penalty kill percentage at 83.4 percent, they still allowed one goal to the Winnipeg Jets the other night that costed them a point. They came away with one insead of two to end the night.
Granted the Jets are ranked first in the NHL in power play success but Tuesday's opponent won't be any easier as the Panthers are ranked seventh in the league with a 24.2 success rate.