“I must impress Trotz.” (Caps Outsider)
The Washington Capitals (1-0-2, 4pts) lost their second game by way of a shootout on Tuesday night to the San Jose Sharks (3-0-0, 6 pts) in a 6-5 thriller. This was the type of game that we as fans love to see, but that coaches hate to be apart of. The Caps fell behind 3-0 but goals from Marcus Johansson (after head coach Barry Trotz insisted he shoot), Mike Green, Alex Ovechkin (who has impressed Trotz so far this season), and Troy Brouwer got the Caps back in the game and eventually tied it up to force overtime and then the ensuing shootout. Outside of the offensive fireworks from this game, Caps fans have to be a little worried about the defensive performance beginning with netminder Braden Holtby.
Watching this game, I was pleased to see the offense break out, but of course I and so many other Caps fans would’ve preferred that to happen in a blowout win instead of a high scoring loss. To look on the bright side, though, it was good to see the team rally behind backup goalie Justin Peters when he was put in the game. And despite the two losses, they’ve at least picked up points.
The Caps continue their home stand on Thursday night against the New Jersey Devils (3-0-0, 6pts) who have started their regular season on a road trip that ends at the Verizon Center. This is another stern test for this Caps team as they face another unbeaten team that has historically been successful in this league, and will help this team mature into what Trotz wants them to become.
The three things to watch in this one are:
- Will the defensive play of the Caps return to the level it was at in the first two games of the season?
- Will the Caps be able to slow down Mike Cammalleri, Michael Ryder, and Patrick Elias who are all off to hot starts for the Devils?, and
- How will the line changes instituted by Trotz affect the team’s performance in this matchup?
LET’S GO CAPS!!!
