Detroit will not have any time to nurse the wounds of a tough outing against Philadelphia yesterday. You can read the game summary here Wings fall to Philadelphia 6-1
Instead, they face one of the dominant teams in the east in the Washington Capitals. The statistics are heavily in Washington’s favor, as in one fewer game they have 41 points to Detroit’s 17. Detroit is a -50 goal differential to Washington’s +18. Washington ranks 5th on the power play at 25% and 10th on the PK at 83.3% for the Scotty Bowman approved 108.8%, above 100% total. Detroit is ranked 28th on the PP at 13.1% and 31st on the PK at 72.4% for a total of 85.5%. Goals per game for the Capitals is 3.56 compared to Detroit’s 2.14 with a Goals against of 2.93 to Detroit’s 3.89. The gaps are clear. John Carlson is already having a Norris worthy season with an impressive 8 goals and 28 assists in 27 games (36 points).
As uphill as yesterday’s tilt looked, this one seems to be a literal league apart. However, somehow the Red Wings got up for Boston, who also have 41 points on the season and lead their division. If there is an internal switch that Detroit can flip, today would be a good day to find it.
Apart from an impressive Washington team, Alex Ovechkin continues to chase history. He now sits 12th all time in goals scored at 675, just 9 off of Teemu Selanne. Closer to home, Ovi is only 17 goals away from tying Steve Yzerman’s 692 career goals, and thus far has played 403 fewer games than Yzerman did in his career. That is mind boggling. Only 7 players in the history of the NHL have eclipsed 700 goals, and Ovechkin is only 25 goals away with 55 games still left in the season. While it might not be great news for Detroit, it is clear that the great 8 is one of the most elite goal scorers we may ever see. You can see the all time leaders here
In terms of current players, Patrick Marleau has 557 goals having played 550+ more games, and Sidney Crosby has 451 goals in 50 fewer games. Steven Stamkos hit 400 earlier this year with 350 fewer games played. If you project Stamkos career average over those next 350 games his goal total would hit 583, almost 100 goals fewer than Ovechkin. That is a shocking gap as Stamkos is a generational talent and goal scorer in his own right.
The point of all this is to say that the current Capitals team is loaded with star talent. As hard as it is, fans of the sport would do well to admire what you’re seeing as it may not happen again. This version of the Capitals reminds me a lot of the 97 and 98 Detroit teams.
The hope for today is that Detroit finds a 60 minute game. Regardless of outcome, the players need to commit to responsible play and building the right on ice culture. Stay disciplined and stay out of the box. Make smart plays in all three zones. High risk passes could very well end up in your own net. Keep an eye on Jakub Vrana. He has speed similar to Larkin and a nice scoring touch. Very effective on the PK and poses a scoring threat short handed.
The Wings have the chance to move forward today, hopefully they will grasp it and give a solid effort.
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