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Snapshots of the Week Ahead for the Capitals

The first full week of hockey in March is a mixed bag of opponents and venues, featuring a team fighting for a playoff spot, one that is rebuilding, and another among the best in the league. And, after starting on the road against one of their most bitter all-time rivals, the Caps close the week with a pair of games at Capital One Arena.

The Opponents

Philadelphia Flyers (Wednesday/7:30). The Caps open the week with a Wednesday night rivalry matchup, traveling to Philadelphia to take on the Flyers. Philly will also be opening their week against the Caps with two full days off after a Sunday matinee against the New York Islanders. The Flyers were active up to and at the trading deadline, obtaining goaltender Cam Talbot from the Edmonton Oilers on February 16th for goaltender Anthony Stolarz. Then, on deadline day, they sent long-time Flyer forward Wayne Simmonds to the Nashville Predators for forward Ryan Hartman and a conditional 2020 fourth-round draft pick.

Despite activity that might reflect that of a seller (they remain five points out of a playoff spot to start the week), the Flyers have had a good run of sorts over the last two months, going 16-3-2 over their last 21 games since January 14th, the best record in the league over that span . In that same span, they are 9-2-1 on home ice, tied with Boston for the best record in the league since January 14th

The Flyers have done it over the past two months primarily with offense. Their 3.71 goals per game over their last 21 games ranks second in the league to the Chicago Blackhawks (4.44 per game in 18 games). The Flyers’ 28.8 percent power play ranks second in that span, and only Chicago has more power play goals (19) than the Flyers (17) in that span.

This will be the second of four meetings of these clubs this season, the Flyers having taken a 5-3 decision in Philadelphia on January 6th. Philadelphia has been a difficult place for the Caps, who are just 3-6-5 in their last 14 appearances on Flyers ice and have not won consecutive games in Philadelphia since their last meeting of the 2010-2011 season and the first of the following season.

New Jersey Devils (Friday/7:00). The Caps return home of Friday to face a team that has long been out of the playoff conversation this season. Since the Devils opened their season with four wins, two of them by shutout, they are 21-33-8 as they head into the new week. It was a club that did crawl its way back within a win of a .500 record (by standings points) as the 2018 portion of the season ended, but they are just 10-17-1 since then, the worst record in the Metropolitan Division. It is little wonder that they occupy last place in the Metro standings as the new week begins. 

The 2019 portion of the season has been one in which the Devils cannot stop the puck. The 95 goals they have allowed overall are third-most in the new year (Chicago and Washington: 96), and only the Los Angeles Kings, Ottawa Senators, and the Capitals allowed more goals on the road (53 for the Kings and Caps; 52 for Ottawa) than the Devils (51) since the start of the new year in fewer games than the three teams in front of them.

The Devils’ difficulties on the road since January 1st can be traced, in part, to their shot attempt differential at 5-on-5. They have a whopping minus-156 differential in shot attempts at fives, worst in the league, and their shot attempts-for percentage (43.30) is also last in road games since the start of the new year. Only three times in 13 road games in the new year have the Devils finished over 50 percent in 5-on-5 shot attempts, only once in their last 10 road games.

Stopping opponents has been an issue specific to the Caps and Capital One Arena, too. Washington has outscored the Devils, 16-8, in their last three meetings in Washington, including a 6-3 win on November 30th in the first of two home games on that ice sheet this season. Washington has points in 16 of the last 17 meetings of these teams (15-1-1), the 6-0 loss to the Devils in New Jersey last October being the only regulation loss in that span.

Winnipeg Jets (Sunday/7:00). Going into the new week, only one team in the NHL has more wins over the last two seasons than the Winnipeg Jets (90, tied with Nashville). Tampa Bay leads all clubs with 104. What the Jets have not been, however, is a successful club on the road this season. Their 17-14-0 record in 31 road games this season ranks 17th in points earned. Their win over Columbus on Sunday night gave them consecutive wins on the road for the first time since closing out the 2018 potion of their road schedule with three wins (at San Jose, at Vancouver, and at Edmonton). Since then, the Jets are 5-8-0 in 12 road games.

The Jets’ road woes generally this season are a case of being all over the place in terms of decisions on a game-to-game basis. In the 31 road games played so far, nine were one-goal decisions, and Winnipeg is 7-2-0 in them, winning all four of their one-goal decisions settled in extra time. On the other hand, the Jets are 6-9 in road games settled by three or more goals. When they are good on the road, they are okay, but when they are bad, well…

Since the Caps peeled off a seven-game winning streak against Winnipeg from March 2013 until February 2015, the teams have fought to a draw, the Caps owning a 4-2-2 record against the Jets (the league points conventions being what they are, the Jets also have a 4-2-2 record against the Caps over those eight games). Those decisions have cleaved along home-road lines, Washington with a 3-0-0 record on home ice against the Jets, and Winnipeg enjoying a 4-1-0 record against the Caps at Bell MTS Place.

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