Washington Capitals welcome the Vancouver Canucks to town
The Vancouver Canucks come to town looking for their first win of the season. The Washington Capitals won their last game against Montreal Canadians to bring their record to 1-2-0 for the season. Evgeny Kuznetsov is a game time decision after skipping the optional skate Sunday and Monday morning. Kuznetsov is the only player listed on the Capitals injury report and is listed as day to day. The Capitals played well in the previous game, finally getting their power play going and utilizing the man advantage to score. Darcy Kuemper played lights out in the previous game, only giving up one goal. The defense was stellar last game, getting aggressive on the forecheck and throwing their weight around in order to finish checks. Alex Ovechkin leads the team in hits. The team is more dedicated to playing physical hockey this season as they throw their weight around and have something like 40+ hits a game. Anthony Mantha has been locked in and focused this season, scoring two goals in three games, including one game winning goal. In order to continue the winning ways from the previous game, the team must continue to be physical and throw their weight around. They also need to be aggressive on the defensive side of the ice, and make sure to clear the zone on the first attempts and not allow Vancouver multiple oppertunities. Big name players like Mantha, Oshie, Kuznetsov, etc, all must be locked in and focused in order to generate more scoring oppertunities and occasionally spring a 3-2, or a 2-1. The goalies need to continue to be aggressive, while also being vigilant about where the puck is on the ice. The penalty kill is at 77.8% and needs to stay at that high number if Washington wants to give themselves a chance to win the game.
