Caps Visit Vegas
After big win over Avs in Denver, Caps move into back portion of trip on Wednesday vs. Golden Knights
The Caps move into the latter portion of their five-game road trip when they pay a visit to the Golden Knights in Vegas on Wednesday night. Washington has won two of the first three games on its journey to date.
With an impressive 3-2 victory over the Colorado Avalanche in Denver on Monday, the Caps recorded their sixth win in their last seven games. If they are able to pick up another victory on Wednesday in Vegas, the Caps would vault over idle Pittsburgh and into sole possession of third place in the Metropolitan Division standings.
The Caps scored first and never trailed in their Monday night victory over the Avs, becoming the first Eastern Conference team to win in regulation in Colorado this season. Midway through the third period, the Caps snapped a 2-2 tie when Marcus Johansson scored on a one-timer after Conor Sheary forced a turnover in Colorado ice, and it stood up as the game-winner.
"We've been playing some pretty good hockey, and tonight was another game," says Caps coach Peter Laviolette in the wake of the win over the Avs. "I thought our guys were really good. That was a good game, it was a playoff-type game. It was fast, it was physical, it was tight. Lots of good things out there."
Monday's victory was the Capitals' 24th road win of the season (24-8-5). With four road games remaining, the Caps can establish a single-season franchise record if they are able to run the table on the road the rest of the way. As it is, they've reached 24 road wins for just the fourth time in franchise history; they did so in 2009-10 and in 2018-19, and they established the franchise standard with 27 road victories in 2015-16.
Washington limited the Avalanche to 26 shots in Monday's game, the first time in 14 games that Colorado was held to fewer than 30 shots, and the first time in 19 games that the Avs were kept as low as 26 on the shot counter.
"It's taking care of the puck and not turning it over, it's attention to detail, it's good defensive zone coverage," says Laviolette. "There's a lot of work that goes into it; a lot of guys blocking shots at the end of the game and sacrificing their body for that puck not to get to the net. So there were a lot of good things defensively for sure that we did against a really good offensive team."
Vegas is in the midst of a heated dogfight for a playoff berth in the Western Conference. The Golden Knights have made the playoffs in each of their first four seasons in the NHL, but they're in a tight spot as they try to make it five straight postseason appearances this season.
Following their 3-2 loss on home ice to the New Jersey Devils on Monday, the Golden Knights trail Dallas by four points for the second wild card berth in the Western Conference. The Stars also hold a game in hand on Vegas.
Expect the Knights to come out hungry on Wednesday. They're currently on the outside of the playoff picture and looking in, and they've only got five games remaining to play. Following their game with the Caps, the Golden Knights are idle for three days before they close out the home portion of their schedule with a divisional duel against the San Jose Sharks on Sunday.
Whatever it does against Washington on Wednesday, Vegas will be left to do nothing but watch the scoreboard for the next three days, so the Caps will need to match the Knights' desperation. Washington clinched its playoff berth on Sunday - a day off in Denver - but there was no complacency in its game a night later against the Avalanche.
"I don't think it changed much for us," says Johansson of the Caps clinching their playoff berth. "We still want to move up a little bit if we can, and we still have a few games to do that. We just want to build our game. We can't just let up and slow down, and then all of a sudden turn it on when it comes to playoffs."
