There were just two games in the NHL on Wednesday, making for a pretty quiet night — though maybe not so quiet in Washington after some controversy surrounding a questionable hit on Senators’ Curtis Lazar. (More on that here.)
Here are three things we learned around the league on Wednesday night:
Capitals are the best they’ve ever been
The Washington Capitals have been considered a serious playoff threat for the last few years, but this year could be the year.
The Capitals currently have 46 points to lead the Eastern Conference — that’s the highest point total they’ve had through 30 games in franchise history.
One reason for that success? Braden Holtby.
The outstanding goaltender has also been at the top of his game, leading the league in wins (19) and goals-against average (1.87). He had another fine outing Wednesday night against the Ottawa Senators, stopping 26 shots and dazzling the home crowd with saves like this one on David Dziurzynski:
The Capitals has received at least one point in Holby’s last 13 starts — the longest goalie streak in the league this season. He has also allowed two or fewer goals in 11 of his last 13 games.
Though Holtby’s strong play has come to be expected on a nightly basis, Wednesday’s victory featured an unlikely hero in Michael Latta. The 24-year-old centre bounced back nicely after being scratched for Monday’s game against the Pittsburgh Penguins, scoring the game’s first goal and assisting on the second in the Capitals’ 2-1 win. It marked the second multi-point game of his young NHL career.
His two goals and three assists through 19 games on the season are a career-high and that’s important because this is a contract year for Latta, who has struggled to find consistency with such a deep Capitals club.
Penguins go 0-2 under Sullivan
The Pittsburgh Penguins are a team desperately in need of a turnaround. After losing their first game under new head coach Mike Sullivan on Monday, Wednesday night’s matchup against the Boston Bruins seemed as good a chance as any to get the new bench boss his first W. Instead, they got shut out.
Tuukka Rask only exacerbated the Penguins’ goal-scoring troubles this season, making 34 saves to earn his fourth shutout of the season and the 30th of his career. He is now 7-0-2 in his last nine starts.
“Our effort is there, but we don’t play as smart as we can,” Sullivan said after the game. “We need to focus on the details of playing the right way.”
Details and resiliency, he added.
“Part of the solution is to simplify. We need to shoot the puck more… We’ve got to become a resilient group. No excuses.”
Countdown to the Winter Classic is on
It’s hard to believe the holidays are just around the corner — which means the annual Winter Classic is, too. This year’s edition promises to be pretty great, with the Montreal Canadiens facing their arch-rival Bruins at the home of the NFL’s New England Patriots.
The first episode of this year’s Road to the Winter Classic debuted on Sportsnet Wednesday, and it didn’t disappoint. Read Luke Fox’s review here.
You can also keep up with the latest features, photos, tweets, updates and more leading up to the New Year’s Day event here.
