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Caps Look To End Losing Streak vs. Coyotes

Marcus Johansson scored a goal in the loss Saturday night against Tampa Bay.

The Washington Capitals (4-4-2, 10 pts) suffered their third straight loss when they fell to the Tampa Bay Lightning (8-3-1, 17 pts) Saturday night at Amalie Arena. Marcus Johansson, Eric Fehr, and Troy Brouwer. Fehr’s goal was his first on the season and was assisted by Jason Chimera and John Carlson.

These last three games have been very frustrating to watch as a Caps fan. The defense hasn’t been playing as well as has come to be expected under coach Barry Trotz and the penalty kill has fell all the way down to 20th best in the entire NHL at 79.4%. In addition to that the goals per game average has dropped to 11th best at 2.9 while the goal allowed average has also fallen to 10th best at 2.3. I have been pleased with the work of the power play unit, which is number five in the NHL at 24.2% though and that is certainly something the team can build off of.

The Capitals return home to the Verizon Center for two games with the first one coming Sunday night against the Arizona Coyotes (3-6-1, 7pts). This is a good opportunity for the team to end their three-game losing streak against a team that isn’t as well rounded as the past three opponents. The biggest thing for the Caps in this one though is to ensure that they keep Arizona’s power play under containment, as it is 2nd best in the league at 26.5%.

Three things to watch:

  1. How will coach Trotz game plan to try and help his team end this losing streak?
  1. Will the Caps be able to improve their penalty kill, which has fallen off in recent games against this potent Coyotes power play unit?
  1. How will the team react to their longest losing stretch of the season to this point?

 

LET’S GO CAPS!!!

Jordan Teixeira

Jordan Teixeira is an eighteen year-old freshman at the University of Maryland College Park from Upper Marlboro, Maryland. He plans on majoring in Broadcast Journalism at the Philip Merrill College of Journalism. He is also a graduate of DeMatha Catholic High School in Hyattsville, Maryland.

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