The NHL starts off 2015 with a bang as the Chicago Blackhawks and Washington Capitals meet outdoors for the league’s annual Winter Classic matchup on New Year’s Day. This year’s game is being played at Nationals Park, the home of MLB’s Washington Nationals, and features two high-scoring teams looking to put on a show for nationally televised audiences.
Entering the new year, the Blackhawks are currently second in the Western Conference with a 25-10-2 record and 50 points, while the Capitals are sixth in the Eastern Conference with a 18-11-7 record and 43 points. Both teams feature high-level offenses — Chicago is third in goals per game, Washington is seventh — and that means we should be in store for some exciting, back-and-forth action.
On the defensive end, however, the Blackhawks hold the advantage, both in terms of shot suppression and goaltending. Chicago is easily the best possession team in the league, boasting the league’s best overall Corsi and Fenwick numbers, and the combination of Corey Crawford, Antti Raanta and Scott Darling has delivered the best save percentage in the NHL.
So the Capitals will need to depend on their talented group of forwards, especially Alex Ovechkin and Niklas Backstrom, to keep up in this one. It may need to happen at even strength, though, since the Capitals’ power play — usually an advantage — goes up against Chicago’s league-best penalty kill.
These two teams have already met once this season, a 3-2 Capitals victory back on Nov. 7. That loss dropped the Blackhawks to 7-6-1 on the season — since then, the team has gone 18-4-1. If the Capitals can muster a victory in the cool D.C. breeze, it’ll be an impressive one.
Game Information
Time: 1 p.m. ET (with possible delays due to sun glare)
Location: Nationals Park, Washington, D.C.
TV: NBC (U.S.); CBC, TVA (Canada)
Online: NBC Sports Extra (U.S. only)