Capitals/Bruins, round two and the last game in the homestand
Today, the Capitals play the Bruins in the last game of a 6 game homestand. In the first meeting on Saturday, they needed overtime but Ovechkin ended it shortly after it began. It was a physical matchup and I would expect for that to continue. Lets look at the keys to how they won the last game and what to expect from this game.
The team had a total of 38 hits in the game. They played a hard physical game, which took the Bruins off their game, and allowed the Caps to have better defensive plays. This led to also having a better penalty kill only allowing one goal in four attempts for Boston.
While the team did have four penalties, they did convert on their one opportunity. The Bruins don’t seem to take many penalties and are a disciplined team, so when they go a man down, its good to take advantage and that’s exactly what the Caps did.
Vitek Vanachek had 40 saves on 43 shots. He is not only improving each game he plays, but he doesn’t seem to make rookie mistakes. He looks calm and poised. His outstanding play is a huge reason why the Caps are winning and haven’t lost in regulation yet. The defensive play has also improved which has helped Vanachek a lot. The team blocked 26 shots as well.
Now in todays game, look for more disciplined play. giving up 4 penalties in a game is a lot to be down a man especially against a team as good as Boston. If they’re to continue winning, look for them to play more disciplined in this game.
In the last game the team was outshot 43-23. The offense needs to be putting more pressure on Rask and creating screens to make life hard for Boston. Shooting 23 total shots in a full game is a very low number.
The game in on NBC Sports Washington at 7:00 or you can listen on 106.7 fm
