Caps look to not get Burned vs Flames - Ovi Out (Washington Capitals)

Washington Capitals

Caps look to not get Burned vs Flames - Ovi Out

By Marcus Boutilier

Feb 1, 2019 • 3:50 pm

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The 27-17-6 Washington Capitals look to end their longest losing streak in 5 years as they return to action after a long break which may have been needed by some. Having lost 7 games in a row (2 OTL points) the Caps are now in a dogfight for Metro Division seedings sitting 3 points out of first place New York Islanders but only 1 point up on Columbus who is in the second wildcard spot. Something that has to be noticed as well is the Caps losing streak has also left them only 4 points up on Buffalo who currently aren’t in a playoff spot.

Starting a 6-game homestand this is a pivotal time of the season for the club. Tonight won’t be easy as Alex Ovechkin will serve his league-mandated one-game suspension for missing the All-Star game and they’re facing one of best teams in the NHL in the 33-13-5 Calgary Flames. Ovechkin had played in 214 consecutive games until tonight. As a matter of fact, he has only missed 29 games over his entire career as the seemingly “unbreakable Russian… motors on through injuries but can’t get past the Bettman rule in this case.

The Calgary Flames are not only one of the best teams in the league but are also one of the hottest as they are 8-1-1 in their last ten game. They are also 11-4-3 against the Eastern Conference. This is not good news for the Caps who have struggled versus the West this year so far going 8-13-1. They did beat the Flames in their first meeting of the year 4-3 on October 27th.

Since the Capitals last win the biggest issue has been goals against. In the seven losses, they have been outscored 36-18 averaging slightly over 5 goals against. I don’t care if Ovechkin is playing or not. Hell, throw in McDavid on this team with Ovi and we still lose giving up 5 a night. It’s an issue not just confined to the goalies as the team has been getting lit up in high-quality scoring chances. No question Pheonix Copley and in particular Braden Holtby needs to be better with a combined save % under .900 over the last seven, but the team needs to stop the turnovers and odd-man rushes.

Coach Todd Reirden speaking to the media after returning from the break says that he used the time to reevaluate. “It was really good for me from that standpoint,… said the rookie head coach, “to look at areas we’ve struggled in and areas we can get better at, and we started to address some of those today and start moving forward with doing a better job of playing to our team identity and eliminating the chance-for-chance opportunities that we’re giving up and just defensive breakdowns.… But Reirden is learning. When General Manager Brian McClellan was asked what he noticed Reirden has been getting better at during his first season as bench boss, MacLellan said he's realized whose voice should matter most. His own. "he was looking for everyone's opinion. Making sure everyone's voice gets heard, making sure everyone's opinion is heard. But over time, I think he realized that it works better if the decisions aren't done that way," he said. I think this is the best news from the GM. Good or bad the coach needs to have the final say and the confidence to say it or act on it.

Washington's lines have been changed due to Ovechkin’s absence. Chandler Stephenson will skate in Ovi’s spot on the top line. Personally, I would have like to have seen Brett Connolly here but we’ll see how the game goes. Andre Burakovsky is not being put up on the 1st line.

Game time is 7:00 PM EST from Capital One Arena in DC.

Capital Gain:

Defenseman Christian Djoos is back skating with the team as he looks to return from the injury list.

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