The Need To Knows
- The Time: 7pm PT
- The Place: Climate Pledge Arena in beautiful Seattle, WA
- Place to Watch: KING-5, KONG, KHN Networks, ESPN+
- Place to Listen: Kraken Audio Network via KJR 93.3-FM
- An Opposing Viewpoint: Japers’ Rink
Know Your Enemy
- The Capitals are 32-10-5, which is good for 69 points in the standings (nice), and sets them comfortably atop the Metropolitan Division and the Eastern Conference.
- Their leading goalscorer might surprise you, but Alex Ovechkin’s having a pretty good year. He’s got 21 goals in 31 games.
- Dylan Strome is the lead points-man for the Caps; he’s got 46 in 47 games.
- While usually their power play is formidable, it’s actually the Caps’ Penalty Kill that’s been exemplary this year; they’re third in the league with a success rate of 85.2%.
- Logan Thompson and Charlie Lindgren have been playing a tandem role together, but have both been pretty darn solid goalies. Thompson has a sliiiight edge, with a .925 SV% on 26 starts. Lindgren meanwhile has a .901 SV% in 21 starts.
Game Preview
Sure, this is late. But stewing in the honest inspiration of this years’ Capitals squad is honestly good for you.
Just about every offseason decision they made this year has paid off tremendously, and their young talent has found a way to be a potent addition to their scoring threat, and hey! They’ve even got a chip on their shoulder now that Logan Thompson has been confirmed to have been snubbed by Hockey Canada for the 4 Nations Tournament! They might be one of the few teams on earth to be able to say “Nobody believed in us” and wouldn’t be immediately lying to you!
And of course…Ovechkin’s Chase.
While the Caps are happy to be comfortably in a playoff spot, much of this season has been about one man and his chase for eternal glory in the record books; Alex Ovechkin. As of this writing, Ovie is a mere 20 goals behind Wayne Gretzky for all-time career goals, and the Caps have engineered their offense to be in hyperdrive; they’ve won their last 5 games and in convincing fashion each time!
So how do you break that down and snap the best of the East’s winning ways?
Well, the thing you should get used to is that the Caps will give you some chances. Not a lot, but they will give you some. By the numbers, the Caps aren’t really the best possession team in the league; just about league average, so chances will be coming.
The Power Play, a common frustration for Kraken fans, will also need to find a way to play far beyond their means; as previously stated, the Caps PK is no joke, and it’s a big part of why they’re so comfortable trading chances; they trust their system and their goalie, so getting them uncomfortable and trying to get them making mistakes on the man-advantage will be critical.
Oh, and keep that rat bastard Tom Wilson contained. As much as I dislike him, the worst part about him is that when he’s not being a reckless dullard is that he’s actually a damn good hockey player. He’s been a major force multiplier for their roster this year.
Do all that? And maybe the Kraken can go briefly spoil a dragon’s day before they slink off to go pummel Vancouver. Crazy as it sounds…I’m confident they can do something like that.
LET’S GO KRAKEN, LET’S GO SQUIDS.