Postgame Recap: Caps 2 Red Wings 1

 The Caps finished their last road trip of the season with getting 5 points out of a possible 6 and have clinched a spot in the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs after the Maple Leafs beat the Senators in a shootout. Here are the highlights.

Caps/Wings:

My Thoughts:

*Evgeny Kuznetsov continued his solid play down the stretch with his 11th goal of the season in the first period.

*Mike Green who too is finding his way offensively lately scored to put the Caps up 2-0, and had an assist on the Kuznetsov goal.

*Braden Holtby played a great game despite having to fight cramps during the game. Joe Louis Arena is an older arena and it can get warm in there.

*Eric Fehr missed the game with an upper body injury, and Andre Burakovsky was inserted in the lineup. Burakovsky only played about six minutes so I expect him to be sent back down to Hershey at some point.

*The Caps defensive corp as a whole has been great when it comes to chipping in points. It's mostly been John Carlson, Matt Niskanen, and Mike Green. However, yesterday Tim Gleason chipped in an assist. Come playoff time the Caps will be a tough team to beat if they continue to get help from the back end.

*I was proud that in the last two minutes of the game the Red Wings pulled the goalie and were in the Caps zone. However, the Caps did not allow pucks to get to Holtby. Marcus Johansson and Karl Alzner had a couple of huge blocks. Especially Alzner who went all out to save the game. That's what will help you win when it matters the most.

*Overall it is sweet to clinch. The Pens lost so the Caps have a four point lead on them and I believe the Caps have the tiebreaker as well. The Caps hold a slim one point lead over the Islanders for second in the Metro. So, now it's not about getting in, it's about trying to get home ice for the first round.


What's Next: Wed. April 8th vs. Boston 8:00 p.m on NBCSN

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