Golden Knights vs Washington Capitals 

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Alex Ovechkin. That name alone is enough to make somebody sweat in their sleep, and for the Golden Knights (30-22-8) memories of the 2018 Stanley Cup Final come to mind.

 

The Washington Capitals (37-16-5) sit atop the Metro Division in the Eastern Conference, a division stacked with seven of the eight teams already over 30 wins on the season. Needless to say, the Capitals are a powerhouse team with a talented roster spearheaded by the best player in the NHL, Alex Ovechkin: who is currently third in the NHL in goals scored with 40. The Las Vegas Golden Knights in recent weeks have proven themselves a tough out by defeating both the St. Louise Blues and the New York Islanders with strong performances.

With the Golden Knights amid a five-game home stretch that will see them play some of the NHL’s best, the visiting Capitals will be the toughest test the Knights will have over that time. The Golden Knights have another chance to prove that they can play with the best in the league as they search for a playoff spot.

Strangely, while the Capitals have seven more wins than the Knights, the lead in the Metro Division, and the top seed spot in the Eastern Conference, the statistics reveal that Vegas has a lot in common with Capitals. The two teams have similar stats in almost every category except penalty kill percentage and goals per game. These similarities show that to win this game, the Knights have to take advantage of the Capitals’ mistakes. Vegas has to get points out of DC with every opportunity.

The key to victory for Washington is getting the puck in the sight of both Ovechkin and John Carlson. Both men combined are top five in all three major offensive categories in the NHL. A resilient, but often mistake-prone Golden Knights defensive team, in their game against the New York Islanders, fixed their defensive problems by not allowing a single goal, all while outshooting the Islanders 43-19 in the game. They had not been able to accomplish that feat against 30+ win teams in the last month of games. However, tonight’s game will test the Knights defense, especially Goalie Mark-Andre Fleury Who has given up three goals a game, each time the Knights have played the Capitals.

Offensively, the Golden Knights will have to play the same way they did against Carolina over a month ago. That was a game where they controlled the puck, disrupted the Hurricanes offense and allowed Jonathan Marchessault and Paul Stansty to take over the game offensively, which got the Golden Knights the win.

 

The Washington Capitals are not the Carolina Hurricanes,

 

The Capitals will come out and play well from the opening face-off. No doubt that this game will be hard played and physical, in the same fashion as the past three games for the Golden Knights. Physical play will not be enough to take the win away from the Capitals. The many offensive weapons Vegas have will have to play as inspired as they did against the Blues, while the defense tightens up as they did against the Islanders. The Golden Knights have surely shown that they are capable of playing like a top tier team, and tonight in front of a sold-out crowd at the T-Mobile Arena, we will see.

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 -JaRon Turner – Franchise Sports Media

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Vegas! If you want another great place to watch the game, head to Al’s Garage in Summerlin. There are multiple televisions to watch all the games. On the weekends Al’s has “Happy Hour” starting at 9 AM and ending at 9 PM. Al’s Garage is located at 11760 W. Charleston Boulevard, Las Vegas, Nevada 89135. Tell them, “The Franchise sent you!!”

 

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