Continuing to steamroll through the entire league are the Washington Capitals, who bagged their sixth-consecutive victory on Saturday by beating the Anaheim Ducks, 6-4.
The Capitals, currently boasting the best record in the NHL, are about as complete a hockey team can get right now. They’re second in the league in scoring at 3.4 goals per game, and are also tops at just 2.1 goals allowed to the opposition this season.
Six different Washington players scored on Saturday, which includes the game-winning and first-ever goal by 22-year-old rookie Zach Sanford as a pro. Just about everybody on the roster is clicking for the Caps, and they’ll have another shot at improving their streak against the struggling Red Wings this Saturday.
On February 9, the Capitals made quick work of Detroit, 6-3, with this match as one of their victories during their current six-game win streak. And during said streak, the Caps have scored five or more goals in five of those six contests, making them nearly impossible to contain on the attack.
Heading in the opposite direction, meanwhile, are the Detroit Red Wings, who lost their fifth-straight game on Wednesday with a 2-0 shutout at the hands of the visiting St. Louis Blues.
A sputtering attack has once again been the undoing of the Red Wings, who remain at the basement of Atlantic Division standings at just 54 points for the season. They’ve failed to score in their past four power-play opportunities, further putting emphasis to their league-worst power play attack at a dismal 11.8-percent conversion rate.
Goalie Petr Mrazek had 27 saves and allowed just a couple of Blues goals on Wednesday, but Detroit’s goaltending in general has been just as disappointing as its offense of late. The team has allowed an average of 3.8 goals during its five-game skid, and now has the unenviable task of trying to upset mighty Washington.
Having said that, don’t count on the Wings to pull a miracle of sorts this Saturday. They’ve lost four-straight games and six of their last seven meetings against the Caps since the start of the previous season.
