What was a hit or miss for the fourth week of the season? Read on…
This week’s games:
HITS
Red-hot John Carlson continuing to be red-hot and sitting atop the NHL’s scoring leaderboard #John4Norris… Holtby’s return to form with a .918 save percentage and 3-0-1 record… the Nats going 2-0 on the road to open the World Series… Baby Shark at Capital One Arena… the lovefest between DC-area teams of the non-football persuasion… the Caps going 4-for-10 on the power play (40%)… Michal Kempny scoring a goal in his return against the Rangers… Nic Dowd scoring the first shorthanded goal of his career… starting the season 5-1-1 on the road.
MISSES
Giving up at least 40 shots in two out of the week’s four games… just a single point for Evgeny Kuznetsov this week, combined with some truly horrendous underlying numbers… another blown third-period lead snaps the winning streak in Edmonton… another loss in OT for a League-leading three on the year so far… bidding farewell to our friend Isabelle Khurshudyan, who leaves the Caps’ beat at the Washington Post after four seasons.
THREE STARS
3) The Nats-Caps Bromance – it’s real and it’s spectacular… as is the fact that the Nationals return home tonight to play the first World Series games in DC in 86 years holding an impressive 2-0 series lead. #FINISHTHEFIGHT
2) Alex Ovechkin – Four more goals in four games (including his 250th career power-play tally) has him back in a familiar spot near the top of the leaderboard, tied for second-most goals in the League and just one shy of David Pastrnak’s NHL-best 10.
1) John Carlson – He keeps putting up the points and making history, we’ll keep naming him our #1 star. That’s just how these things work.
Week in Review: Hit.
It didn’t have the most pleasant ending, as the Caps let yet another lead slip away in the third against the Oilers before falling in overtime, but don’t let that erase a week of (mostly) good. Shots-against are up, and probably not ideal to cede 44 of them to a lackluster Chicago team… but also up are Holtby’s numbers, and the team’s offense, with 18 goals in four games.
Plenty still to work on? Of course, and they know it. But collecting those points and moving to the top of the standings while perhaps not playing their best means the Caps have a little breathing room to tinker with things without resorting to a desperation move.