For the second time in 48 hours, the Washington Capitals (6-2-1) will face the Winnipeg Jets (4-6-0). The Capitals closed their Western Canada road trip with a 3-2 win over the Jets at the MTS Centre, and they earned 6 out of 8 points on the trip. Puck drop is at 7 PM.
The Capitals carried a 2-0 lead for 2 periods on Tuesday night, but the Jets were able to rally in the third period to tie the game.
With 30 seconds to go in the game, Jay Beagle became the hero for the Capitals as he scored the game-winning goal to put the Caps ahead 3-2. Karl Alzner and Marcus Johansson would tally for the Capitals during the game. Braden Holtby was outstanding as he made 43 saves for the Capitals.
THE CAPITALS NEED A STRONGER EFFORT
The Capitals surrendered 45 shots, which is totally not acceptable by their standards. The Capitals are one of the NHL’s stingiest teams when it comes to giving up shots against.
During the Jets game, the Capitals were also 0 for 3 on the powerplay. They could have used a powerplay goal against the Jets to push their lead further ahead in the late stages of the game.
THE MOJO IS ON FOR JOHANSSON
The Capitals hottest skater right now is Marcus Johansson. Johansson had 7 points during the Capitals 4 game road trip.
Johansson is playing well with new linemates Tom Wilson and Evgeny Kuznetsov. The Capitals will continue to need consistency from their second line if they want to keep their winning momentum going.
JETS SEEK REVENGE
The Capitals will need to play better against the Jets in their second and final matchup. The Capitals were not playing very fast in the 3rd period on Tuesday evening. They will have to continue to find ways to trim the chances of the Jets big, skilled forwards.
Mark Scheifele got the Jets momentum going the other night by scoring their first goal of the game. Scheifele, 23, is deceptively fast on his skates and he is good at getting to the hard areas around the net.
20-year old Nikolaj Ehlers had a great game for the Jets against the Capitals on Tuesday night. He registered 8 shots on goal, but did not register any points. The speedy Dane is not a guy the Capitals want to see behind their defense on a breakaway chance.
KEYS TO VICTORY FOR THE SECOND MATCHUP
The Capitals will have to come out fast. Both teams have traveled many miles in the past few days, so it is best if the Capitals come out fast in front of the DC crowd.
The Capitals will need to win the special teams battle at home. The powerplay was not up to par against the Jets, and the Capitals will need to muster something against the Jets penalty kill, which is not very good.
Giving up 45 shots is not acceptable for any club. While Braden Holtby is always up to the task, it is important for the Capitals to shut down the Jets speed and size they have up front. Jets rookie star Patrik Laine has a wicked shot, and he is a player that the Capitals do not want to give open space to.
By: George Foussekis
