Mike Weber (Caps Outsider)
Philadelphia Flyers. Two words that bring up memories for Caps fans of all ages. The Caps and Flyers will be giving fans more memories as they face each other on Wednesday, in what is a likely a preview of a first round playoff series. Per hockeyviz.com there is a 51% that this will happen.
On the day of the trade deadline, the Flyers were three points out of a playoff spot, and have gone 9-3-2 since. One player who has been key to this run is rookie defender Shayne Gostisbehere, who has scored 16 goals, 15 of which have either tied the game, or given the Flyers the lead. Gostisbehere also has 26 assists for a total of 42 points in 57 games. If the Caps want to stop the Flyers offense, stopping him is a must.
With Dmitry Orlov having some costly turnovers resulting in pucks in the Caps net, coach Barry Trotz has said he will “possibly make changes the next game.” Many people believe this change will be veteran defender Mike Weber. Weber is a much more physical player that does well in the hard-nosed games that usually take place between the Caps and Flyers.
Some keys to the game for the Caps will be to play a good “road period” in the first to try and take the crowd out of it. Another will be getting the puck in deep and not having any turnovers in the danger zones. Although the Flyers are a tough and rugged team, they do have some get up and go in them. Expect Trotz not to rest anybody but decrease the minutes of the top lines and roll all four lines regardless of score now that the Presidents’ Trophy is locked up.
