Week 2 left something to be desired, but it was a week featuring a trio of playoff teams from last season. Week 3 is a lighter schedule, both in terms of the number of games to be played (two) and the quality of opponents.
The Opponents
The Capitals are entering a portion of their schedule in which they need to make hay while the sun of weaker opponents shines. First up for the Caps is the New York Rangers, who the Caps will face at Capital One Arena while playing on their third consecutive Wednesday to start a week. The Rangers were not thought by many to have much chance of challenging for a playoff spot this season. So far, they have disappointed no one who made such a prediction.
The Blueshirts are 1-4-0 through their first two weeks of play, last in the Metropolitan Division and 29th in the league standings. They did manage to beat the powerhouse San Jose Sharks, but this is also a team that allowed Carolina to ravage them for eight goals. To their credit, that was the only game in which they allowed more than three goals. But it is not a team that has scared anyone with their offense yet, the Rangers averaging only 2.40 goals per game (23rd in the league after Week 2).
The Caps will wrap up their light Week 3 workload when they host the Florida Panthers on Friday, breaking up the back-to-back games that were part of Weeks 1 and 2. Through two weeks, only the New Jersey Devils played fewer games (two) than the Panthers. Nevertheless, Florida was one of just two teams without a win (Detroit being the other). They have been right on the cusp of winning, though, dropping all three of their games in the first two weeks by one goal, one of those games decided in overtime, a 2-1 Gimmick loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning in the season opener. Florida is a team that plays the Caps tough, winning two of three meetings last season, including a 4-1 win in their only visit to Washington last October 21st.
Hot Caps…
Cold Caps…
Weird Facts…
Potential Milestones In Reach This Week: