Ten weeks into the season, the Washington Capitals find themselves a bit ahead of last season’s points pace. After a week that could have gone a lot worse, winning two games after losing their first two of four games, or a lot better, having third period collapses in both of those losses, the Caps will be looking for consistency of effort and results as they meet three surprising teams in Week 10.
The Opponents
Few might have picked any of the Caps’ three opponents in Week 11 to be at .500 or better this late in the season. That all three of the Caps’ opponents have reached that level is would have been the extremely rare prognostication when the season started.
Detroit Red Wings. The 2018-2019 season started as many might have expected for the Red Wings. The once proud franchise that won four Stanley Cups in 11 years and reached the postseason in 25 straight seasons was coming off their second straight season missing the playoffs, and then they started this season going 1-7-2 in their first ten games. However, since beating the Dallas Stars, 4-2, on October 28th, Detroit is 12-6-2. Only the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Eastern Conference has a better record over that span (16-5-0). The team that will be coming to Capital One Arena on Tuesday seems to have done it with mirrors, since their ranking in a variety of categories on their recent run is unimpressive – ninth in goals scored (65), tied for 14th in fewest goals allowed (57), 26th in power play efficiency (13.7 percent), 20th in penalty killing (78.8 percent), 28th in shot attempts-for at 5-on-5 (46.20 percent). What they have done is win games in extra time. Detroit is 6-2 in extra time games in their 12-6-2 run. This will end the Washington portion of the season series between the teams, the Caps having taken a 3-1 decision at Capital One Arena on November 23rd.
Carolina Hurricanes. When the Caps visit Carolina on Friday, they will be meeting an old adversary that prior to this season had fallen on hard times. The Hurricanes have not reached the postseason since the 2008-2009 season, the nine-year absence being the longest in franchise history dating back to their inaugural season in 1979-1980 as the Hartford Whalers. This year, the script might be changed. Carolina enters the week one point behind the New York Islanders for the third place in the Metropolitan Division and playoff eligibility. However, they have stumbled of late, losing three of their last four games to end Week 10 (1-2-1). Until they beat the Anaheim Ducks, 4-1, to break a three-game losing streak on Friday, they had a hard time scoring goals, posting a total of only five in five games before shooting down the Ducks. This will be the first of four meetings between the clubs this season. Washington won two of the four contests last season.
The Caps end the week hosting the Buffalo Sabres in the back half of back-to-back games. Among the surprising teams in the first third of the season, Buffalo might be the most surprising of all. The Sabres are another of those teams that have been on the outside looking in on the playoffs in recent years, last season being the seventh straight that Buffalo missed the postseason. This is a team that has not won at least half of its games since going 43-29-10 in 2010-2011, the last year they made the playoffs. This season, things look a lot different. Their 17-9-4 record through Saturday is third in the tough Atlantic Division but would lead the Metropolitan Division. Much of the Sabres’ early season success was fueled by a ten-game winning streak that did not reflect strength as much as it did an opportunistic bent. Seven of those ten straight wins came in extra time. Since then, the Sabres have dropped five in a row, two of those losses in extra time. This will be the first of three meetings between these teams this season.
Hot Caps…
Cold Caps…
Weird Facts…
Potential Milestones to Reach This Week…