Everyone hates Mondays, but the Capitals had one that’s really really bad, as they saw their nine-game winning streak come to an end. It was one of the most entertaining games in a while, which had the Pittsburgh Penguins only escaping with an 8-7 OT win despite exploding for six goals in the second period.
Thursday will be the Caps’ second meeting with the Blues this season. They won the first one at home, 5-2, with Alex Ovechkin registering a season-high three goals.
Ovi isn’t having a classic Ovi campaign scoring-wise (21 goals in 44 games), but we doubt that there are worries. Along with leading the team for co-first place in the Metropolitan Division, the future Hall-Of-Famer is also making up for his down year in goals by being a good facilitator. His 18 assists this season is just four short of eclipsing last year’s total (two shy of surpassing last season’s PP assists), and they still have 37 games remaining.
Further, they’re also enjoying the productions of Nicklas Backstrom (13 G, 43 PTS), Marcus Johansson (14 G, 31 PTS), TJ Oshie (15 G, 28 PTS), and Justin Williams (15 G, 25 PTS).
The Caps’ perennially-elite offense, to no one’s surprise, is coming up big (138 goals, fifth overall), and their defense is continuing to raise its game. They are now first in goals against (94) and second in save percentage (92.7).
The Blues lost to the Ottawa Senators this past Tuesday, 6-4. It was the third time in five games (ninth all season) that they have allowed opponents to score five or more goals.
Their drop-off on defense has been appalling, as they went to having a top five D last season to currently being 24th overall this year (135). Goalie Jake Allen is at the decent 90-percent mark in save percentage on the season, but he’s been awful in his last six, giving up 17 goals in 122 shots. With his struggles, the Blues have plummeted to dead-last in the NHL in save percentage (89.2).
On offense, it’s mostly about Vladimir Tarasenko. For the third year in a row, the two-time all-star is leading his team in goals (20) and points (45). In both categories, he’s inside the top eight in the league.
With the Blues being more of a one-man gang, they are just 12th overall in goals (128). They also join the Blackhawks as the only two teams who are yet to score a short-handed goal this season.
