Hello All,

The Washington Capitals kicked out the first half of their back to back with a 2-0 win over the Detroit Red Wings. The Red Wings entered the game on a three-game win streak and the Capitals have looked anything but consistent as of late. This is an impressive road win for the Caps given the state of the team.

Here Are the Stats:

Shots on Goal:

WSH – 29
DET – 21


Shots on Goal (5v5):

WSH – 20
DET – 20


Corsi For %:
WSH – 55.84%
DET – 44.16%

Corsi For % (5v5) :
WSH – 51.28%
DET – 48.72%


Power Play:

WSH – 0/4
DET – 0/4


Hits:

WSH – 17
DET – 11


Blocks:

WSH – 15
DET - 8


Scoring Chances For:

WSH – 28
DET – 25

Scoring Chances For (5v5):

WSH – 22
DET – 22

High Danger Chances For:

WSH – 10
DET – 10



High Danger Chances For: (5v5):

WSH – 9
DET – 10


Goaltending:
Zach Fucale: Shutout
Thomas Greiss .931 SV% / 2.0 GA

Here are my Takeaways:

Zach Fucale –You knew it would be the first thing I touch on. Zach Fucale was called up to duty as a result of Vitek Vanecek’s shoulder injury. Jeff Skinner fell on top of Vanecek late in the third period and Vanecek seemed to be laboring his shoulder. There is no word exactly how long Vanecek will be out but @SamanthaJPell did tweet that he was spotted at practice recently and this is more of a maintenance day for Vanecek. Zach Fucale was awesome last night! He became the first goaltender in Capitals history to post a shutout in his NHL debut! Fucale was picked in the second round by the Montreal Canadiens in the 2013 NHL draft. Since 2015, he has bounced around five different AHL teams but has settled in with the Capitals the past two. This was a massive win for the Capitals and they could not have done it without Fucale. All bias aside, this is also just a really cool story about a guy who finally got his big break on the big stage and boy did he shine! Congrats, Fucale!



Power Play Continues to Struggle – The Capitals once again went scoreless on the power play last night (0/4). On four power plays, they only registered four shots on goal. Two of those shots were considered scoring chances. The Capitals had zero high danger chances on the power play. The Caps also failed to convert on a lengthy 5 on 3 power play. It is clear to me that the Caps really miss and need Backstrom and Oshie back. Backstrom is such a wizard on the right side getting the pass either to Carlson for a quick pass to Ovechkin for his one-timer OR down low to Kuzy for a bumper pass to Oshie in the slot. Both options are seemingly nonexistent with Kuznetsov running the Backstrom side. While Kuzy is fine in that spot, he doesn’t do little things like the deceptive backhand pass to Carlson at the point. That is a very specific example but if you’re a Caps fan you know exactly what I am talking about. This is just one of many things missing with the overall structure and flow of the power play. I am not saying all will be fixed when Backstrom and Oshie return. The Capitals power play struggled last year as well with a healthy lineup just not as bad as this. All I am saying is the PP will certainly improve its opportunities, chances, and conversions with a healthy lineup. LASTLY, I have to give Detroit some credit here. The Detroit PK looked strong and they earned a lot of those kills. Well done on their side of things.

Lars Eller Lights the Lamp – I have been beating the drum for the Capitals depth players to step up and Lars Eller rose to the occasion. Just 10 seconds after the Orlov goal to put the Capitals up 1-0, Lars Eller worked his way into the offensive zone and fired a puck past Greiss. It was Eller’s first goal of the season! The two goals back to back in 10 second certainly shocked the Red Wings it appeared. The Red Wings started the game great but as the period marched on, the Capitals slowly took control. The Eller goal was extremely timely for the Capitals.

Connor McMichael Generating Chances –McMichael had another strong game and almost converted a goal that just barely missed going across the line. McMichael had 4 SOG, 1 Hit, and 1 Takeaway. He was only 20% in the faceoff. Every game it seems like he has one or two medium/high danger chances. It is nice to see McMichael fitting in so well early this season.


Next Up, the Capitals are back in action tonight at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, OH. The Jackets are hot and Nationwide is a tough place to play at on the weekends. The Cannon will be ready for us.

That is all, thanks for reading and LET’S GO CAPS

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