Hello All!

The Washington Capitals continue to skate backwards after starting the season with a franchise record nine-game point streak. This is the third straight game the Capitals have blown a 2-goal lead. Here are the stats for the game:


Shots on Goal:

WSH – 37

PHI – 23


Faceoff %:

WSH – 47.7

PHI – 52.3


Power Play:

WSH – 1/1

PHI – 0/4


Hits:

WSH – 21

PHI – 11


Blocks:

WSH – 13

PHI – 9


Chances For:

WSH – 63

PHI – 56


Scoring Chances For:

WSH – 31

PHI – 23


High Danger Chances For:

WSH – 16

PHI – 12


The stats from the game pretty much paint the picture here. The Capitals put forth a very strong effort on the offensive front today against a very competitive Philadelphia Flyers squad. The Caps led the Flyers in shots, chances, scoring chances, high danger chances, hits, blocks, and power play %. The Flyers won the game 7-4 and that is the only stat that matters. Here are some observations from what went wrong today:



1. Defense – It doesn’t get much worse than the defensive performance today. The Capitals defense failed to get timely stops and zone clears all game. The Flyers may have had less scoring opportunities compared to the Caps, but they made the most of what was given to them. The Flyers seemed at their best when they got puck in deep and created a cycle. In addition, the Flyers also had nice controlled breakouts where the Capitals defense didn’t seem like at time they were in position to keep up. When the Flyers shot the puck on net, they did not miss many, if any opportunities. The goaltending could have been better today but it was the defense leaving Vanecek and Anderson out to dry more often than not.

2. Lack of Depth Scoring – All four of the Capitals goals came from a variation of their top-line guys Ovechkin, Backstom, and Wilson. While you always want and need your top lines and players to score consistently, they cannot carry the bulk of the offensive production in the entire game. The Capitals were very short-handed today on the offensive side with guys like Oshie, Vrana, and Kuznetsov all missing the game. These are guys that provide critical ancillary depth scoring and the Capitals really missed them today.

3. Goaltending – I won’t be too critical of Vitek Vanecek today. Not many goalies would be able to sit in there and stop some of the shots he faced considering how the defense was playing. With that being said, 10 saves on 14 shots is just not good enough. I don’t care how terrible the defense is playing, you have to be a little better than that. Ilya Samsonov is still out since landing on the COVID list. He was actually the only player who got COVID so there is really no telling when he will be back. While Vitek Vanecek has played pretty remarkable overall this season (not including today), the Capitals could really use Samsonov back in the lineup to split up the load. Samsonov is our 1A goaltender and we could sure as hell use him right now.



Random Stats and Facts



-Ovechkin scored two goals today. That’s three goals in four games since returning from the COVID list. He had a pretty awesome game today. He made Philippe Myers look silly on the Capitals second goal.


In the last five games the Capitals and Flyers had played versus each other, the Flyers are 5-0 and have outscored the Capitals 25-11. In the five games prior to those five, the Capitals were 5-0 against the Flyers, outscoring the Flyers 20-10.


-Scott Laughton scored his first career hat trick today. Someone in the empty arena in Washington threw a hat on the ice in celebration. Whoever you are…damn you! Lol. Laughton has been in the Philadelphia system since the beginning of his NHL career. He was drafted 20th overall in the first round back in 2012. He averaged 26 points in the 2017 and 2018 seasons while playing 80+ games. Last year he was on record pace for himself scoring 27 points in 47 games. This is a player that is certainly trending in the right direction for the Flyers.


-Sean Couturier returned to the Flyers lineup and made an immediate impact. He provided an offensive spark to a team that has struggled 5on5 for the majority of the season. He scored three points today (2G-1A).


-Philippe Maillet logged 8:02 time on ice in his NHL debut for the Capitals and recorded one shot on goal and one hit.


-The Capitals’ 37 shots on goal against Philadelphia tied a single-game high this season (Jan. 26 vs. NYI: 37).


-Today marks Tom Wilson's first career three assist game and his second career four-point game (2g, 2a on Dec. 6 vs. Chicago).


The once 6-0-3 Capitals have now lost three straight games in regulation and are 6-3-3 with 12 games played. They sit third in the eastern division with 15 points. They are four points ahead of the 4th place Penguins but have played one more game than the Pens. Here is what it boils down to. First, the Capitals need to get better defensively, and they need to get better ASAP! They invested heavily in free agent defencemen in the offseason and surely someone can step up and play respectful defense. Secondly, the Capitals need to get healthy ASAP. Whether it is injury or COVID protocol, we need every guy available in this competitive division.


Next game is Tuesday at 6pm ET against the Philadelphia Flyers. Lets hope for betting defense and goaltending next game.

That is all for today! Go Caps!

***********************
Stats and Facts provided by:

nhl.com/stats
hockey-reference.com
naturalstattrick.com
@CapitalsPR Twitter page
***********************

Follow me on Twitter @HB_Capitals

Join the Discussion: » 5 Comments » Post New Comment

» Ovechkin Breaks Gordie Howe's Record for Most Goals with One Team

» WSH 1, DET 3 - Ovechkin Ties Howe in Detroit

» WSH 0, DAL 2 - Caps Blanked by Oettinger and Stars

» WSH 6, NJD 3 - Washington Capitalizes on Blackwood's Off Night

» WSH 4, LAK 3 - Caps Mount Another Third Period Comeback