Blue Line Station
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New York Rangers looking to end losing habit against slumping Caps

By Andrew Steele-Davis

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 20: Pavel Buchnevich #89 of the New York Rangers controls the puck during their game against the Washington Capitals at Madison Square Garden on November 20, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 20: Pavel Buchnevich #89 of the New York Rangers controls the puck during their game against the Washington Capitals at Madison Square Garden on November 20, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images) /
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WASHINGTON, DC – MARCH 04: Alex Ovechkin #8 of the Washington Capitals shoots the puck against the Philadelphia Flyers during the second period at Capital One Arena on March 4, 2020 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC – MARCH 04: Alex Ovechkin #8 of the Washington Capitals shoots the puck against the Philadelphia Flyers during the second period at Capital One Arena on March 4, 2020 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) /

About The Capitals

It seems that all the excitement of Alex Ovechkin chasing down record after record drained the energy out of this Washington Capitals team.

They are a disappointing 6-9-1 in their past 16 outings and they don’t look like the unstoppable offensive juggernaut they were earlier in the regular season.

All teams go through slumps, of course, but this barren run has come at the wrong time for the Capitals who should be gathering momentum at this stage of the year, not losing it.

And, as a result of their slump, the Caps have opened the door wide open for the Metropolitan Division with both the Philadelphia Flyers and the Pittsburgh Penguins hot on their heels.

It seems the heat is getting to Washington too and they were absolutely crushed by the Flyers on Wednesday Night Hockey, with Philadelphia running riot right now.

Last night’s ugly 5-2 loss leaves the Caps hanging onto the top spot in the Metro and it will be interesting to see if they can provide a response tonight.

They were beaten up by a very physical Flyers team so the Capitals could be feeling rather worse for wear right now, but they can’t afford to keep this current pace up.

Despite their struggles, they are still a very dangerous team and they boast the firepower to sink the Rangers tonight.

Alex Ovechkin is showing no signs of slowing down and he has amassed 45 goals and 18 assists for 63 points in 65 games, while defenseman John Carlson is on pace for a Norris Trophy caliber year with 73 points (15 goals, 58 assists) through 66 games.

The Capitals also have a high-end goaltending tandem at their disposal in the form of Braden Holtby and Ilya Samsonov, with the latter 16-6-1 this year with a 2.40 Goals Against Average and a .917 Save Percentage.

Holtby got the start against the Flyers last night which means that Samsonov could go against the Rangers tonight.

Washington will provide the New York Rangers with another real litmus test and tonight’s contest could have a significant bearing on the final makeup of the Metro Division.

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