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The streak goes on: Capitals win ninth in a row and are crushing everybody

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The Capitals continued their recent roll with a 5-0 throttling of the Flyers in Washington on Sunday.

This one was impressive.

For 40 minutes on Sunday the Washington Capitals looked to be sleepwalking through their game against the Philadelphia Flyers and might even need their backup goalie, Philipp Grubauer, to steal one for them.

Then they woke up just in time for the third period.

Thanks in part to a four-goal outburst in the first seven minutes of the third period, the Capitals were able to extend their current winning streak to nine games with a dominating 5-0 win over the Flyers.

That stretch of play perfectly demonstrated the firepower this Capitals team has and the ridiculous level it is currently playing at. It also showed what can happen when you don’t capitalize on the chances they give you, and how quickly they can capitalize on the chances you give them.

The Flyers had several opportunities to turn this game in their favor, and for most of the game were carrying the play. But an 0-for-4 performance from the Flyers’ power play through the first two periods kept the door open for the Capitals. All they needed was a couple of Flyers turnovers to kick the door open.

This goal from Matt Niskanen to make it 3-0 was probably the best of the game. Just look at the puck movement and the way Alex Ovechkin just completely freezes Flyers goalie Steve Mason.

The numbers during this streak are simply staggering for the Capitals. A few of them that stand out after Sunday’s game.


  • They are outscoring teams 40-11 during the streak
  • They have not allowed an even-strength goal in six straight games
  • During those six games, a stretch that has included games against Columbus, Ottawa, Montreal, Pittsburgh, Chicago and Philadelphia, they are outscoring teams 26-3.
  • They are controlling more than 54 percent of the even-strength shot attempts in those games, which means they are not only dominating on the scoreboard but also outplaying some of the best teams in the league (specifically referring to Columbus, Montreal, Pittsburgh and Chicago) by a significant margin.
  • They have won three games by at least five goals, while six of them have been won by a multiple goal margin.

The other thing Sunday’s win did? It moved the Capitals back into the top spot in the Eastern Conference.

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They are in Pittsburgh on Monday for another game with the Penguins after beating them 5-2 on Monday.

As for the Flyers? Well ... this game simply capped off a terrible weekend that saw them lose two games by a combined score of 11-3 and bring their current slump to 11 losses in their past 14 games.

They remain just a single point ahead of the Carolina Hurricanes for the second Wild Card spot and only two points ahead of the Ottawa Senators. The Hurricanes now have three games in hand on them. The Senators have five. That could be a problem.