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Capitals top Bruins as they win three in a row against playoff contenders: numbers for the morning after

By Chris Cerullo

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April 11, 2022 7:47 am

The Washington Capitals had the tough task of playing the Boston Bruins not even 24 hours after getting done beating the Pittsburgh Penguins and they completed that task with another two points. That’s three in a row against future Eastern Conference playoff teams.

Let’s go Caps.

  • Definitely not the prettiest win in the world as the Caps gave up 19 high danger chances at five-on-five to the Bruins. Wins in the back half of back-to-backs are rarely pretty though, so who really cares. That’s three wins in a row and I liked how they played in big stretches in all three games. Apparently, this team just needed a players-only meeting like weeks ago.
  • One of the big factors in the win was the play of the penalty kill. They forced a top-ten power-play unit into a 0-for-4 game. The Caps PK is ranked sixth in the NHL since March 1, killing off 84.4-percent of opposing man advantages.
  • Vitek Vanecek had a couple moments of poor play in the second period that resulted in two Boston goals but otherwise, I think he did a really great job in net to earn the win. He made 29 stops and you always need your goaltender to be on his game to win the back half of a back-to-back. The Bruins had 45 total scoring chances in the game according to NaturalStatTrick so this was not an easy one for Vitek.

  • Alex Ovechkin grabbed the 775th goal of his career as he deposited the puck into an empty net with about one second remaining in regulation. With his 45th goal of the season, Ovi passed Gordie Howe (44) for the second-most goals in a season by a player aged 36 or older. Only Teemu Selanne (48) is left for him to pass on that list.
  • Really nice game from the Tiger, Lars Eller. I’ve been a bit down on Eller in recent posts but he really stepped up without Nicklas Backstrom and scored the game-winning goal. His line was also the team’s best at five-on-five, amassing a plus-9 shot attempt differential, a plus-4 scoring chance differential, and a plus-1 high danger chance differential as well as scoring two goals.
  • Tom Wilson set some more personal bests in what has become his best scoring season in the NHL. Wilson potted his 23rd goal of the season which was also his 50th point. That 23 mark is his new single-season high and it was the first time he has hit 50 points in his career.

Numbers thanks to Hockey-reference.com and NaturalStatTrick.com.

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