Welcome to SportsJourney.com’s newest feature, a weekly check in on the Washington Capitals. From now until the end of the season (hopefully in June), we will provide an analysis of what went right and what went wrong over the past seven days.
The reason for this is because, thanks to a certain billionare, there is one less beat writer on the scene for the Capitals. Because of that, independent journalists like ourselves need to pick up the slack. We won’t replace the damage done to the Washington Post, but we will try to mitigate it as best we can.
We hope you enjoy, and now, on with the show!
The Olympics are over, the race is on!
Starting this week, the Capitals will play 23 games between now and the end of the regular season on April 14th. Washington has played more games than any team in the league at 59. They have 65 points as of this writing and sit four points out of a playoff spot.
That’s both good and bad. On one hand, the Caps have just one more back to back series this year, it comes this weekend; on the other hand, the teams they are chasing for a playoff spot have more chances to win more points. At some point, the Caps will have to scoreboard watch but at least they won’t be the ones needed to win two nights in a row. We’ll see if that’s an advantage or not.
Logan Thompson should be rested.
Fans were no doubt disappointed that Jordan Binnington got the lions share of the time in goal during the Olympics but the good news is that Thompson shouldn’t need a break to catch his breath once the season resumes.
That’s good news because the Caps had one of the best goalie parings in the league the first half of the season with Thompson and Charlie Lindgren. Lindgren is also healthy after suffering a lower body injury before the break and Washington will lean on the two netminders to help drive this push.
Thompson’s goals against average of 2.45 is seventh in the Eastern Conference. The Blue Jackets, Red Wings, Penguins, and Canadiens all have goalies giving up more per game. The Islanders Ilya Sorokin is ahead of Thompson by 1/100th of a point and just four teams in the East have given up fewer goals. That makes Washington a team no one wants to face in a best of seven series.
How much of a factor will Alex Ovechkin be down the stretch?
It seems absurd to ask that question of hockey’s all time goal scorer, Ovechkin is second on the team in goals (22), tied for first in assists (46), and second in total points (48).
Still, the eye test this year tells a different story. It’s not that he isn’t still productive and dangerous but The Great 8 doesn’t have as many clutch goals this year as in years past.
Maybe it’s a fluke, but Washington will need him big time as winter turns to spring and the playoff race heats up. If history is a guide, they will find a way; Washington has made the playoffs in 35 of the last 44 seasons, but there is very little margin for error. The Caps need to hit the ice at full speed when the season resumes February 25th against Philadelphia.
Bob Matthews is a 33 year veteran broadcast journalist, spending the last 29 years of his career in Virginia. Bob has covered both news and sports stories and for the last three seasons, the Washington Commanders. He looks forward to continuing to provide coverage to Sportsjourney.com both on the website and through his podcast, The Bob Matthews Show.
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