The journey of the Jackets heading towards the playoffs and possibly the President’s trophy, met one of it’s toughest opponents to date in the Washington Capitals. The game was all about goalies and how well they showed up tonight. Both Braden Holtby and Sergei Bobrovsky played out of their mind. The goaltending duel would go all the way to the shootout where TJ Oshie would once again beat Bobrovsky to win the game.
The Good, The Bad and The Ugly
The Good: Sergei Bobrovsky
A .978 sv% is about as good as you are going to get. Bobrovsky is the front runner for the Vezina and a huge reason why the Jackets are in the position they are in. They don’t get this game to overtime without him. The quantity of the Capitals shots is astounding and it showed why they are one of the top teams in all of the NHL.
They’re going to need him come playoff time and if he even plays a tiny bit like this, the Jackets are going to be in great shape. More and more quality starts means that the Jackets are in for a real treat this April.
The Bad: Shot differential
This was one of the worst nights in terms of shot differential that the Jackets have had this year. These kind of nights spell trouble and they need to be avoided. Playing on the back end of a back to back will do that to you but when you’re playing one of the best teams in the league, you’ve gotta step up.
Even on bad nights you’ll see a player or two over 50%CF at even strength, the Jackets didn’t even have someone over 40%. It was that bad of a night. These are the types of games where you take the point, nod and move on. The team will get a little bit of rest before a matinee against the Philadelphia Flyers. It should make for a fun affair and allow the Jackets to get back on track.
The Ugly: Tired legs
It was to be expected that the Jackets were going to be tired after their game against the Toronto Maple Leafs, one of the youngest and fastest teams in the league. Against the Capitals, they were going to face a gauntlet all over the lineup. Everyone knew they were going to be facing a barrage of shots tonight. The key moving forward, especially with the team facing a very tight schedule would be moving players in and out of the lineup religiously.
Rest is going to be needed for most players and getting some of the stronger players some time on the bench is a good idea. As they continue to compete for the President’s trophy, it’ll begin to be more obvious where they stand. It’s an idea that could be utilized considering maximum turnover isn’t likely due to the roster limit.
The rest of the season is a chess match and it’ll be compelling to watch the Jackets maneuver their pieces.
Tweet of the game:
https://twitter.com/CBJDuck/status/845069326361264130
Need to remember the good in life. This pug is pretty darn good.
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