Washington Capitals and Toronto Maple Leafs eyeing comfort zone – NHL Preview
Washington Capitals’ captain, Alex Ovechkin’s absence due to a lower body injury resulted in a defeat for his team and when he took the rink after the recovery, the result was otherwise.
Such is the importance of Ovechkin, who helped Capitals snapping their three-game losing streak by defeating the lowly Montreal Canadiens.
But the Capitals have still not yet reached the comfort zone and they have to strive hard to be among the top eight teams of National Hockey League (NHL) Eastern Conference.
The same is the case with Toronto Maple Leafs, who are tied with the Capitals in terms of games played and points earned and are still out of the comfort zone.
Both these teams are going to face each other on Saturday, February 25, 2012, and the winning team could get some respite after the game. Of course, the results of other games will also have an impact on their rankings.
Let’s have a look at both the teams.
Capitals
Capitals’ run this month is not pretty commendable as they have lost eight out of 12 games played.
Out of their last five games, they have only won two with the recent victory against Canadiens snapping their three-game skid.
In the last five games, Capitals have scored a total of nine goals while conceding 14.
Against Montreal, however, they performed equally well on offence and defence.
Capitals scored one goal in the first period, while two in the second. Both the teams scored apiece in the final period as Capitals get the victory, 4-1.
After the victory, Capitals forward, Brooks Laich, said:
"Our guys try and win. They play hard most nights. We were due for one, maybe. We were due for a good hockey game. And we got one at a good time."
Capitals are ranked at ninth spot with 65 points after 61 games in the Eastern Conference.
Leafs
Leafs are ranked just below the Capitals.
They too did not have a very good time this month and are presently on a three-game losing streak with the recent defeats coming against Vancouver Canucks (6-2), New Jersey Devils (4-3 in overtime) and San Jose Sharks (2-1).
Out of the last eight games, Leafs have only won one and that’s what favours Capitals against them.
Leafs’ forward, Tim Connolly, said of the team’s situation:
"Points are extremely important right now and every game is a big game for us. We've got to play that way for a full 60 minutes."
Predictions
Capitals might win.
The sum of goals scored by both the teams might stay under six.
If Leafs win, the winning margin will be less than two goals.
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