Author: Kassie Coulson

Silver & Gold: Washington Capitals vs Vegas Golden Knights

Washington Capitals (37-16-5) vs Vegas Golden Knights (30-22-8)

 Predicted GoaltenderRecordGAA / SV% / # SO
Washington CapitalsBraden Holtby21-12-43.11 / .897 / 0
Vegas Golden KnightsMarc-Andre Fleury22-14-52.80 / .905 / 4
*Predicted* Goaltender Matchup

The Washington Capitals are off to Sin City to take on the Vegas Golden Knights for the 2nd and final time this season. The Capitals defeated the Golden Knights, not just in five games to win the Stanley Cup in 2018, but more recently by a score of 5-2 back on November 9th, 2019.

The Washington Capitals were defeated by the Arizona Coyotes on Saturday night, despite some outstanding goal-tending from Braden Holtby. Under no circumstances should this fourth loss in six games be blamed on the veteran goaltender, but rather on abysmal passing and turnovers. The first period was scoreless, with both the Caps and the Coyotes receiving one power play, but failing to convert. The Capitals received an early 2nd period power play, but again, were unable to tally a goal. Officials tried their hardest to keep this game fair, so for each penalty the Caps were called for, the Yotes would then be called. Tom Wilson was called for roughing, so Arizona was given the man-advantage, but didn’t convert. Christian Dvorak gave Arizona a 1-0 lead just beyond the seven-minute mark of the second, his 18th of the season. 10 minutes later, Carl Hagelin tied the game 1-1, with his 5th goal of the season. Travis Boyd, who had been inserted into the lineup the last two outings, recorded the primary assist on the Hagelin goal. Washington ended up 0-for-3 on the power play, and the Yotes, 1-for-3. At the 5:25 mark of the third period, Phil Kessel scored the eventual game-winning goal on the Coyotes power play, with Michal Kempny in the penalty box. Alex Ovechkin is still two away from 700, and has not scored in four straight games, which, believe it or not, is his longest goal-less streak of the season. Ovechkin led the Caps with eight shots on goal in 23:52 TOI versus Arizona. It seems that no team, no goaltender, wants to surrender even a single goal to the 8th All Time Goal Scorer, and greatest goal scorer of all time, who is just two goals short of 700. Lawson Crouse, with Washingtons’ net vacant, sealed the win for Arizona with an empty-net goal, giving the Coyotes a 3-1 lead. Washington peppered Yotes goaltender Antti Raanta with 37 shots but was only able to score once against the 30-year old. Braden Holtby stopped 27 of 29 shots and ended his night with a .931 save percentage. Holtby will start for the Capitals against the Golden Knights.

The Vegas Golden Knights shutout the New York Islanders, 1-0, also on Saturday night. Vegas, like Washington, has five wins and five losses over their last 10 games, but unlike Washington, the Golden Knights have snagged points in 2 of those 5 losses. The shutout marked Marc-Andre Fleury’s 60th of his NHL career, and 4th of the season. Riley Smith scored the lone goal of the evening with just five seconds remaining in the 2nd period. The goal marked his 22nd of the season, and first in six games. Vegas received three opportunities with the man-advantage, but their 9th ranked power play was unable to convert. Conversely, the Golden Knights 22nd ranked penalty kill did keep the Islanders off the board. New York ended up 0-for-2 on the power play. The Golden Knights haven’t been held to just one goal since November 21st versus the Sharks, though they have been shut-out themselves three times this season, and twice in 2020. This will be the first time Washington plays the Golden Knights since the newest expansion team fired their head coach Gerard Gallant, and acquired former Capital Chandler Stephenson. In 24 games with Washington in 2019, Stephenson had three goals and one assist for four points. In 30 games with Vegas, he has eight goals, including two short-handed, and 10 assists for 18 points with the team. Three goals have been game-winners, and one, a power-play marker. Mark Stone, who was perhaps the Golden Knights’ best acquisition to date, leads the team with 37 assists and 57 points, but Max Pacioretty tops out with 26 goals in 60 games. Four Vegas players have five or more power play goals, and three have 6 (Stone, Pacioretty, and Marchessault). The Golden Knights severely outshout the Islanders 43 to 19, therefore one could make the argument than Isles goaltender Semyon Varlamov had a much more difficult night than Fleury. As previously mentioned, Fleury stopped all 19 shots faced, and is expected to start for Vegas.

The Vegas Golden Knights are once again without Alex Tuch (OUT, lower body). Evgeny Kuznetsov traveled with the team on this road-trip, but the center-man has yet to dress. Kuznetsov tool rushes with the third line at morning skate, but will miss a straight 3rd game. Brendan Leipsic was the extra during morning skate, but he will still play, with Travis Boyd filling in at the 3C position.

Coverage of the game begins at 5:00pm with Caps Faceoff Live, followed by Caps Pregame Live at 5:30pm, all on NBCSN/NBCSWA, with puck drop shortly after 6:00pm.

References:

HockeyReference. (2020). Chandler Stephenson Stats. Retrieved from https://www.hockey-reference.com/players/s/stephch02.html.

TheScore. (2019). Vegas Golden Knights News & Stats. Retrieved from https://www.thescore.com/nhl/teams/102.

TheScore. (2019). Washington Capitals News & Stats. Retrieved from https://www.thescore.com/nhl/teams/15.

Desert Nights & Hockey Fights: Washington Capitals vs Arizona Coyotes

Washington Capitals (37-15-5) vs Arizona Coyotes (28-24-8)

Predicted Goaltender Record GAA / SV% / # SO
Washington Capitals Braden Holtby 21-11-4 3.14 / .896 / 0
Arizona Coyotes Antti Raanta 11-12-3 2.82 / .915 / 2

Next up, the Washington Capitals are in Arizona to take on the Coyotes in another late Western Conference matchup. The Caps haven’t had the best of luck against the Coyotes in recent times and lost to the Desert Dogs 4-3 in the shootout, on November 11th, 2019. TJ Oshie scored late in the third period to tie it, and we thought he scored in the shootout, but his goal was eventually washed out. Hopefully, this time the Capitals can snag a win at Gila River Arena.

On Thursday night, the Washington Capitals defeated the Colorado Avalanche to avoid losing a third straight game in regulation for the first time this season. A late third period comeback, re-discovering a lost identity, and three unanswered goals by the Caps resulted in a 3-2 win. Braden Holtby got the start, and once again, was hung out to dry early on by the team in front of him. Just two minutes and 54 seconds into the first period, former Capital Andre Burakovsky gave the Avs an early 1-0 lead. Burakovsky’s 18th of the season marked a career-high for the winger. With just under four minutes left in the first, Mikko Rantanen with his 19th of the season made it 2-0 on the only power play of the period (Oshie, high sticking). The Capitals would receive back-to-back power plays, and Nicklas Backstrom managed to get Washington on the board with Tyson Jost in the penalty box. Washington would not, however, score on the man-advantage. Moments later, the Avalanche would head back to the power play as Nic Dowd was called for tripping. Heading into tonight’s game, Colorado’s power play in their last handful of games was better than 27% efficiency. Halfway through the penalty kill, Lars Eller was called for delay of game, therefore giving the Avs a modified 5-on-3 two-man advantage. In the 10 occurrences that Washington has been down by two, they have given up three goals. The Capitals penalty kill successfully kept Colorado off the board, and as play returned to even strength, Tom Wilson drew a penalty to give Washington another man-advantage (Donskoi, slashing). Braden Holtby kept the Caps in this one, and Washington would start the third period on the tail-end of the Donskoi penalty. The Capitals received two more power plays, and despite a slow start, Washington deserved to win this one, as they outplayed the Avalanche for much of the second half. Washington was finally rewarded for hard work as Tom Wilson tied the game 2-2. The last 10 minutes had the intensity of a playoff game, which many anticipate will occur between these two teams. For the first time in 16 games, Washington put up two power-play goals, and they are now four for their last 12. TJ Oshie with his 22nd of the season, scored the go-ahead goal with just over two minutes remaining, marking three unanswered goals by the Caps. Braden Holtby tallied his 21st win of the season and put up his best save percentage since December 21st (.941). Holtby will start for the Capitals.

The Arizona Coyotes lost to the Ottawa Senators by a score of 3-2, also on Thursday night. Arizona has just two wins in their last 10 games and is sitting in 5th in the Pacific Division. The Coyotes currently hold the 2nd wild card position in the West. Vladislav Namestnikov at the 2:50 mark and Brady Tkachuk just about four minutes later gave the Senators an early 2-0 lead through the first 20 minutes. The Senators received two power-play opportunities in the second, but it was the Coyotes that would convert on their man-advantage as Oliver Ekman-Larsson pulled his team back in it. Arizona would eventually end the night 1-for-2 on the power play, and their 7th ranked penalty kill kept the Senators from converting on any one of their three power-play opportunities. Nick Paul would score the eventual game-winner for Ottawa at the 6:50 mark of the third period. Jordan Oesterle brought the Coyotes within one with his 2nd of the season, but despite outshooting the Sens 35 to 31, it was Ottawa that emerged victorious. Although Arizona allowed the 5th fewest goals against in the league (2.68), they are tied for 23rd among 31 teams for goals for (2.71). (TheScore).  Phil Kessel, who was traded to the Coyotes from the Penguins in exchange for Alex Galchenyuk posts an abysmal -23 rating through 59 games, though he boasts 12 goals and 21 assists with Arizona. Antti Raanta ended his night with a .903 save percentage after stopping 28 of 31 shots. Raanta is expected to start for the Coyotes.

The Arizona Coyotes are without goaltender Darcy Kuemper (DL, lower body), Marian Hossa (IR-NR, illness), Jason Demers (DL, oblique), and Barrett Hayton (out, shoulder). Evgeny Kuznetsov will not dress for a second consecutive game, despite taking the ice before practice this morning.

Coverage of the game begins at 9:00pm with Caps Faceoff Live, followed by Caps Pregame Live at 9:30pm, all on NBCSN/NBCSWA, with puck drop shortly after 10:00pm.

References:

NHL.com (2020). Phil Kessel Stats and News. Retrieved from https://www.nhl.com/player/phil-kessel-8473548.

TheScore. (2019). Arizona Coyotes News & Stats. Retrieved from https://www.thescore.com/nhl/teams/24.

 

Friends in High Places: Washington Capitals vs Colorado Avalanche

Washington Capitals (36-15-5) vs Colorado Avalanche (33-16-6)                 

 

Predicted Goaltender

Record

GAA / SV% / # SO

Washington Capitals

Braden Holtby

20-11-4

3.17 / .894 / 0

Colorado Avalanche

Phillip Grubauer

17-11-4

2.72 / .912 / 1

Us here at TXHT are very excited to announce that we will be providing *LIVE* coverage of the game from Pepsi Center! 

After rounding out a four-game home-stand with a 1-3-0 record, and being outscored 16-12 in that span, the Capitals are back on the road. This time, they’re off to the Mile-High City of Denver, Colorado, to take on the Colorado Avalanche. The Avalanche defeated the Capitals 6-3 back on October 14th, 2019. This will be just the second meeting between these two teams this season, though many have predicted that we may be seeing a Stanley Cup Final between the Capitals and the Avalanche this year.

The Washington Capitals put forth their second consecutive disastrous performance back on Monday night as they lost to the New York Islanders, 5-3. Although the loss was not as painful as the previous 7-2 loss to the Flyers, is it possible that the team is too focused on Ovechkin reaching 700? I’ll chalk up the losses to the alternate third jerseys, and horrible defense. Nick Jensen was back in the line-up on the third defensive pair, and therefore Radko Gudas was out. Washington allowed the first goal of the game, again, as Anthony Beauvillier scored just three minutes and 30 seconds into the first period. The left-winger tallied his 17th of the season, and his 2nd of the game not even three minutes later, establishing an early 2-0 lead for the Isles. Without Jensen, the Capitals held off Philadelphia for just over 15 minutes. With him back in the line-up, two goals against in just over six minutes. Coincidence? I think not. John Carlson cut the Isles lead in half with his 15th of the season, though initially, fans thought the goal was Alex Ovechkin’s’ 699th of his career. However, Devon Toews re-established that two-goal lead late in the first with his 5th goal of the season. The goal was Toews’ first since he last scored against the Capitals on January 18th. The second period saw a goal from Leo Komarov just 45 seconds in, adding to the Isles lead. Washington held off the Islanders for just about 10 minutes before Jordan Eberle scored his 9th of the season, essentially sealing the win for New York. Ilya Samsonov was pulled for just the first time after allowing five goals on 20 shots. Less than a minute later, Lars Eller, who seems to be the only consistent play on the roster right now, posted his 14th of the season, cutting into New Yorks’ lead, 5-2. On the Capitals power play, with Scott Mayfield in the penalty box, TJ Oshie brought his team within two to tie with his 21st of the season. However, the score would remain stagnant at 5-3 for the remainder of the game. Washingtons’ 2nd-best penalty kill continues to impress as they killed off both Isles’ power plays. Finally, the Capitals converted on a power play, but were 1 for 3 on the night. Braden Holtby, who has been less than good lately, came in as relief and stopped all 12 shots faced. Holtby will get the start for Washington.

The Colorado Avalanche were last in action on Tuesday night, where they shutout the Ottawa Senators 3-0, to win their fifth straight game. Late in the first period, Mikko Rantanen, who had missed 16 games with an injury, scored his 18th goal of the season. Both the Avs and the Senators received a first period power play, but neither converted. The middle period was scoreless, but Ottawa received a second opportunity with the man advantage, and again, were unable to convert. Colorado was gifted with three consecutive power plays, but they too could not convert. The Colorado Avalanche is tied for 17th in power-play efficiency in the league (19.4). Their penalty kill isn’t very good either, killing off 78.9% of all penalties taken, which lands them at 21st overall. With just under 10 minutes remaining in the game, Valeri Nichushkin added to the Avs lead with his 11th of the year, on the power play (Cody Goloubef, tripping). Nathan MacKinnon, to no one’s surprise, leads the team in goals (32), assists (44), and points (76). MacKinnon also has 10 power-play goals, and Mikko Rantanen isn’t far behind with 7 of his own. However, the Avs, at home, allow on average 3.16 goals against and with the Washington Capitals ranked second in goal-scoring in the league, their starting goaltender should be prepared for that. It should also be noted that the Avalanche have allowed 15 power-play goals against in 72 shorthanded situations (ESPN). With the goaltender pulled for Ottawa, Gabriel Landeskog potted his 15th of the season to seal Colorado’s 8th win in 9 games. Former Capitals goaltender Philipp Grubauer stopped all 34 shots faced and ended his night with his 2nd shutout of the season. Grubauer is expected to start for the Avalanche.

The Colorado Avalanche is without Colin Wilson (DL, lower body), and Nazem Kadri (OUT, lower body). After suffering an awkward fall into the boards on Monday, Evgeny Kuznetsov is listed as day-to-day with an upper-body injury. Kuznetsov did not participate in practice on Wednesday, but Washington has not called up anyone, so it is assumed that the team will travel with 12 forwards and six defensemen.

***NOTICE*** Due to the recent national broadcast pick up of this match, coverage of the game NOW begins at 8:30pm with Caps Faceoff Live, followed by Caps Pregame Live at 9:00pm, all on NBCSN/NBCSWA, with puck drop shortly after 9:30pm on NBC & NBCSN.

References:

ESPN. (2020). 2019-20 NHL Hockey Stats and League Leaders – Special Teams. Retrieved from http://proxy.espn.com/nhl/statistics/team?stat=special-teams&sort=powerPlayGoals.

TheScore. (2020). Colorado Avalanche News & Stats. Retrieved from https://www.thescore.com/nhl/teams/27. 

 

 

*UPDATED* Not Great, Not Terrible: Washington Capitals vs New York Islanders

Washington Capitals (36-14-5) vs New York Islanders (31-16-6)

 Predicted GoaltenderRecordGAA / SV% / # SO
Washington CapitalsIlya Samsonov16-3-12.21 / .923 / 1
New York IslandersThomas Greiss15-7-22.53 / .920 / 0
Predicted goaltenders

The Washington Capitals will round-out their four-game home stand by taking on another division rival… yes, again… the New York Islanders. The Capitals defeated the Islanders 6-4 back on January 18th, but New York is just slightly better against Metro teams than Washington. Both teams have struggled as of late, with the Capitals being 6-4-0 and the Islanders, 4-4-2 in their last 10 games.

The Washington Capitals were stomped by the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday, in a pitiful 7-2 loss. On the eve that many Caps’ fans thought Alex Ovechkin would score his 699th and 700th career goal, instead, fans witnessed some of the worst hockey Washington has played in quite some time. It was former Capital Matt Niskanen’s first time playing in Capital One Arena as a member of the Flyers team, and a video tribute was shown, which brought tears to the eyes of some in the arena. The Flyers received the first power play of the night, just beyond the 15-minute mark of the first, and Sean Couturier stunted Washingtons’ top-tier penalty kill to give his team an early 1-0 lead with the man-advantage. Shortly thereafter, T.J. Oshie tied the game with his 20th goal of the season as Brian Elliott was called for tripping. The first period was the best of the game for the Capitals. The middle frame is where everything fell apart. In four minutes and 30 seconds, the Flyers put up three goals, including Michael Raffl’s 6th of the season (2:45), Couturier’s 15th (and 2nd of the game) just 14 seconds later, and James van Riemsdyks’ 15th as well (4:30). The Capitals received three power plays in the second, and the Flyers, one of their own, but neither team converted. Although Philadelphia led 4-1 heading into the third period, the game was still within reach for Washington, and Caps’ faithful stuck around to hopefully witness another comeback. As predicted, after receiving four power play opportunities, the tides began to turn for Washington as the Flyers received four consecutive power plays, including a two-man advantage. Just short of the three-minute mark of the final frame, Nicolas Aube-Kubel improved the Flyers’ lead by a score of 5-1. Less than two minutes later, Travis Konecny made is 6-1, and the mass exodus of Caps fans began. Claude Giroux sealed the win for Philadelphia as he made it 7-1 Flyers with his 14th of the season on the power play (Hathaway, cross-checking). Finally, after the 7th goal was scored, Braden Holtby was lifted, and Ilya Samsonov, again, was entrusted with goal-tending duties for the remainder of the period. Many, including myself, questioned why it took seven goals against to finally turn over the net to Samsonov, but on the bright side, he ended the night with a perfect 1.000 save percentage. Evgeny Kuznetsov gave Washington one more goal at the 12:17 mark, as he potted his 19th of the season. After being shut-out by the Devils 5-0 just a few nights ago, this was certainly a memorable night for goaltender Brian Elliott. Elliott made 25 saves on 27 shots, and earned himself his fifth win in seven starts, and his 14th of the season. Braden Holtby, on the other hand, ended his night with an abysmal save percentage of .720 after allowing seven goals on 25 shots. The entire roster, sans four players, ended the game with negative +/- ratings; TJ Oshie (+1), Nicklas Backstrom (0), Alex Ovechkin (0), and Carl Hagelin (0). Ilya Samsonov is expected to start for the Capitals versus the Islanders.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=28MdIaNqL4U

The New York Islanders dropped their last game, also on Saturday, but the score was just 3-1, as they conceded to the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Islanders have just four wins in their last 10 games. The first period was score-less and lacked even a single penalty. However, just 14 seconds into the second period, Brayden Point gave Tampa a 1-0 lead with his 20th of the season. Point is currently riding a six-game point streak himself and has seven power play goals on the year. The Lightning received a late second period power play, but the Islanders’ 20th ranked penalty kill kept Tampa’s 5th ranked power play off the scoreboard (ESPN). At the 6:25 mark of the third period, Carter Verhaeghe scored his 5th of the season, making it 2-0, Tampa. With Nikita Kucherov in the penalty box for holding, Derick Brassard scored the single Isles goal of the evening, breaching the 10-goal mark for Brassard. The Islanders were 1 for 1 one the power play versus Tampa, though they have just 23 power play goals on the year, which is just one goal better than Anaheim (21) (ESPN). Barry Trotz, in typical Barry Trotz fashion, elected to pull goaltender Semyon Varlamov for the extra skater in hopes of tying the game later, but Steven Stamkos potted an empty-net goal with 62 seconds left. Although unchallenged, the goal would mark Stamkos’ 26th of the season. Semyon Varlamov, who played three seasons with the Capitals, ended his night with 27 saves on 29 shots and a .931 save percentage. Thomas Greiss, however, who has points in each of his last five starts, will start between the pipes for the Islanders.

The New York Islanders are still without Cal Clutterbuck (DL, wrist), and Adam Pelech (DL, achilles). Ryan Pulock is listed as day-to-day with an undisclosed injury. Radko Gudas will be the healthy scratch for the Capitals, and defenseman Nick Jensen will be moved down on the third defensive pair with Jonas Siegenthaler. Martin Fehervary will be paired with Dmitry Orlov.

Coverage of the game begins at 6:00pm with Caps Faceoff Live, followed by Caps Pregame Live at 6:30pm, all on NBCSN/NBCSWA, with puck drop shortly after 7:00pm.

References:

ESPN. (2020). 2019-20 NHL Hockey Stats and League Leaders – Special Teams. Retrieved from http://proxy.espn.com/nhl/statistics/team?stat=special-teams&sort=powerPlayGoals.

TheScore. (2020). New York Islanders News and Stats. Retrieved from https://www.thescore.com/nhl/teams/7.

TheScore. (2020). Washington Capitals News and Stats. Retrieved from https://www.thescore.com/nhl/teams/15.

*UPDATED* We Fly High, No Lie, You Know This: Washington Capitals vs Philadelphia Flyers

Washington Capitals (36-13-5) vs Philadelphia Flyers (29-18-7)

 Predicted GoaltenderRecordGAA / SV% / # SO
Washington CapitalsBraden Holtby 20-10-43.08 / .897 / 0
Philadelphia FlyersBrian Elliott13-6-42.89 / .900 / 2

After three days off, the Washington Capitals are looking for a win against former Capital Matt Niskanen and his Philadelphia Flyers. The Flyers defeated the Capitals back on January 8th by a score of 3-2. However, that was just the first loss Washington had suffered in six consecutive meetings with the Flyers (mcubed).

On Tuesday, the Washington Capitals defeated the Los Angeles Kings, 4-2, in a game they probably shouldn’t have won. Both the Capitals and the Kings received first period power plays, but neither converted. The most notable event of the evening was the call-up of defenseman Martin Fehervary, who slid into the lineup in place of Jonas Siegenthaler, and Vitek Vanecek, who served as the backup to starting goaltender Braden Holtby. Jeff Carter got the Kings on the board just past the 15-minute mark of the first period. The remainder of the first frame was fairly uneventful. John Carlson ended an 18-game scoreless streak as he tied the game with his 14th of the season, seven minutes and 25 seconds into the middle period. The Capitals played a lazy game against the Kings, which was disappointing, since it’s the Kings, but one could assert that it was a bit of a wake-up call. Jeff Carter tallied his second of the game and 16th of the season 11 minutes and 33 seconds into the third period, all but guaranteeing a second straight Washington loss. The Capitals essentially wasted two full periods of play, and it was to be determined if a free All-Fan Giveaway would even make up for it. Washington was held to just 12 shots on goal through 40 minutes, six in each period. But let’s not ignore the fact that Alex Ovechkin put up three goals in five minutes to bring home the win for the Capitals. His three goals came at the 13:50 mark of the third, 70 seconds later at exactly 15:00, and his third, an empty-net goal at the 18:14 mark. The hat-trick marked Ovechkins’ 27th of his career. More impressively, however, is the fact that the Caps’ captain has three hat-tricks in six games, and 16 goals in 10 games. To offer some perspective, the Great 8 had the same number of goals in 10 games, as the entire Detroit Red Wings team had in that same amount of time (Dylan Larkin scored twice on Thursday, so this factoid is no longer valid, though still impressive). With his 38th, 39th, and 40th of the season, Ovechkin is just two goals away from the 700 mark. Can Alex reach, or possibly even surpass, that milestone versus the Flyers?

WEIGH IN!
When will Alex Ovechkin score his 700th career goal?

Braden Holtby earned his second win in three games, but just his third in 11 starts. After allowing just two goals against on 31 shots, Holtby ended his night with a .935 save percentage. Holtby will start for the Capitals.

Capitals reCAP

The Philadelphia Flyers lost to the New Jersey Devils after being shutout 5-0 on Thursday night. Surprisingly, the Flyers have been very good versus the division, as they are 9-3-4 within the Metro. Compared to the Capitals who are just 9-8-1, the Capitals will need to play for their lives to improve that record. For another consecutive year, the Flyers boast the best face-off percentage in the league (53.5%). Both Sean Couturier and Claude Giroux break the top five best face-off guys in the league. Couturier leads the team in assists (33) and points (46) and tallied three assists versus the Colorado Avalanche on the first of February. He is however, compared to his 2018-19 season, underperforming, with just 13 goals in 53 games (TheScore). For Ivan Provorov, six of his nine goals have come on the power play (NHL). For a defenseman who average nearly 25 minutes TOI per game, leading his team, Provorov is poised to set a career high in points, or at least come close. Just thirteen seconds into the first period, Blake Coleman, on the Devils’ first shot of the game, gave New Jersey a very early 1-0 lead. Coleman’s goal was the first the Flyers had allowed in the first period in six games. Damon Severson improved the Devils’ lead to 2-0 on the power play, with Kevin Hayes in the penalty box. The Flyers received three power plays through three periods, but with PK Subban in the box for tripping, Pavel Zacha scored short-handed. Devils 3-0, 71 seconds into the final frame. Miles Wood made it 4-0 New Jersey shortly thereafter with his 9th of the season. Flyers head coach Alain Vigneault elected to pull Brian Elliott for Alex Lyon to finish the period. Three shots turned into three goals as Miles Wood scored his 2nd of the period, making it 5-0, New Jersey. Philadelphia severely outshot the Devils, but MacKenzie Blackwood had a lights-out performance to earn his 16th win of his season. Blackwood stopped 46 of 46 shots, whereas Brian Elliott allowed four goals on 17 shots, and Lyon, one goal on two shots to finish the game. Brian Elliott is slated to start for the Flyers.

The Philadelphia Flyers are without Samuel Morin (DL, knee), Carter Hart (OUT, abdomen), Nolan Patrick (IR-NR, head), and Joel Farabee (OUT-illness). For the Capitals, this should come as a relief to Caps’ fans. After taking a puck to the face the other day, Ilya Samsonov left morning skate as a precautionary measure, and the Capitals recalled Vitek Vanecek from the Hershey Bears. Early Wednesday morning, Vanecek was re-assigned to Hershey, indicating that Samsonovs’ injury was not considered severe. Fehervary, however, did not dress for the Hershey Bears in their most recent game, and was recalled back to Washington early Saturday. Nick Jensen will be the healthy scratch, as Fehervary fills in on the second defensive pair.

Coverage of the game begins at 6:00pm with Caps Faceoff Live, followed by Caps Pregame Live at 6:30pm, all on NBCSN/NBCSWA, with puck drop shortly after 7:00pm.

References:

ESPN.com. (2020). 2019-20 NHL Hockey Stats and League Leaders – Faceoffs. Retrieved from http://proxy.espn.com/nhl/statistics/player?stat=faceoffs&sort=faceoffPercent.

HockeyReference. (2020). Alex Ovechkin Stats. Retrieved from https://www.hockey-reference.com/players/o/ovechal01.html.

Mcubed. (2020). NHL : Series records : Washington Capitals against Philadelphia Flyers. Retrieved from http://mcubed.net/nhl/wsh/phi.shtml.

NHL.com. (2020). Ivan Provorov News & Stats. Retrieved from https://www.nhl.com/player/ivan-provorov-8478500.

TheScore. (2020). Philadelphia Flyers News & Stats. Retrieved from https://www.thescore.com/nhl/teams/9.

*UPDATED* Kings of the Capital: Washington Capitals vs Los Angeles Kings

Washington Capitals (35-13-5) vs Los Angeles Kings (19-29-5)

 Predicted GoaltenderRecordGAA / SV% / # SO
Washington CapitalsBraden Holtby19-10-43.11 / .896 / 1
Los Angeles KingsJonathan Quick11-19-33.02 / .895 / 0
Goaltender Matchup *predicted*

The Washington Capitals are looking to defeat the Los Angeles Kings in the second of their four-game homestand to start off the month of February. This season, the Kings are 8-17-4 on the road, and Washington defeated LA back in December by a score of 3-1.

The Washington Capitals suffered a bitter defeat to the division rival Pittsburgh Penguins on Sunday after two goals from Lars Eller and a late third period push fell just short. Ilya Samsonov started for the Caps, and the young netminder dropped his first game in 11 starts dating back to November 2019. The team in front of Samsonov did not play their best, and therefore this loss should not rest on the goaltender. This time. This game had a little bit of everything, including power plays a-plenty, some ill will, some missed penalties, and a whole lot of trash-talking. 12:30pm starts aren’t ideal, but in a game this important, it was vital for the Capitals to put forth a strong showing. Unfortunately, this Super Bowl Sunday mid-day match didn’t unfold as hoped. Lars Eller, 10 minutes and 38 seconds into the first period, scored his 12th of the season, giving the Capitals an early lead. However, as has been commonplace for Washington lately, that lead was quickly washed out as Sean Lafferty got the Pens on the board just over a minute later. Not even 60 seconds after Lafferty’s goal, Patric Hornqvist teased the puck past Samsonov to mark his 12th of the season. Pittsburgh led 2-1 heading into the first intermission. Just short of the 12-minute mark of the middle period, Dominik Simon improved the Penguins’ lead with his 7th of the season. Pittsburgh absolutely dominated play through the first 40 minutes, and through two periods, Washington was held to just 19 shots on goal, though it seemed like far less. Exactly six minutes into the final frame, Evgeny Kuznetsov, off a lucky bounce behind Matt Murray, tallied his 18th goal of the season, and second goal in two games. With just under two minutes left in the game, Brandon Tanev game Pittsburgh their comfy two-goal lead back with his 11th of the season. Before all was said and done, Lars Eller scored his 2nd of the game, assuring a respectable loss, nonetheless a loss, to the Penguins in their first meeting of the season. A total of 26 penalty minutes were doled out through three periods, and probably the most impressive stat of the afternoon was the six Pittsburgh power plays that the Capitals successfully killed off. Even with top penalty-killers Carl Hagelin, Garnet Hathaway, Jonas Siegenthaler and Tom Wilson taking turns in the penalty box, Pittsburghs’ power play units were unable to convert. Even with a number of opportunities with the two-man advantage, the one thing the Penguins couldn’t do today, was score on a power play. The Capitals did not convert on any of their three power plays, either. Tom Wilson registered a career-high 12 hits throughout today’s game, and the Capitals nearly doubled up on the Penguins with 47 hits (vs 25) (TheScore, PIT @ WAS).  Ilya Samsonov ended his night with a .879 save percentage, courtesy of 29 saves on 33 shots. Braden Holtby will get the start for the Capitals versus the Kings.

The Los Angeles Kings were last in action on Saturday, as they lost to their division rival Anaheim Ducks. Ironically, the last time the Caps and Kings played one-another, Los Angeles had lost to the Ducks the game before, as well. The Kings are 2-7-1 in their last 10, and have allowed 27 goals against in that span. Max Jones got the Ducks on the board early in the first period with his 6th of the season. Derek Grant, at the 2:33 mark of the second, improved Anaheim’s lead by two, and just over four minutes later, Jacob Larsson made it 3-0. The LA Kings peppered Ducks’ goaltender Ryan Miller with 47 shots, but only Tyler Toffoli, late in the third, was able to solve the nearly-40 year old netminder. Toffoli’s 14th goal of the season came on the Kings power play with Cam Fowler in the penalty box for holding. The Kings’ 4th worst penalty kill successfully kept the Ducks from converting on their singular power play, but their 8th worst power play actually ended up 1-for-2 on the night. Anze Kopitar, per usual, leads the Kings with 17 goals and 30 assists, for 47 points through 53 games (NHL.com). More impressively, however, is Alex Iafallo. The 26-year old left-winger has just 14 goals, but Iafallo has goals in three of his last five games, including a hat-trick against the Arizona Coyotes. Five have come on the power play. Unfortunately for LA, however, are the 22 power play goals against the team has allowed on the road this season (ESPN). And lucky for Washington, the Kings have just one short-handed goal in 28 road games. Washington leads the league in most short-handed goals allowed, with five coming in January, and two since the All-Star Break. Jonathan Quick, after allowing three goals on 28 shots, dropped his fifth straight appearance, and 8th in nine starts. Quick is slated to start for the Kings.

The Los Angeles Kings are currently without Drew Doughty (DTD, undisclosed). Earlier today, the Washington Capitals recalled defense-man Martin Fehervary from the Hershey Bears. It is predicted that Jonas Siegenthaler will not play tonight, and Fehervary will take his place. Additionally, goaltender Ilya Samsonov was injured during morning skate, and as a precaution, Washington is recalling goaltender Vitek Vanecek, also from Hershey.

Coverage of the game begins at 6:00pm with Caps Faceoff Live, followed by Caps Pregame Live at 6:30pm, all on NBCSN/NBCSWA, with puck drop shortly after 7:00pm.

References:

ESPN. (2020). 2019-20 NHL Hockey Stats and League Leaders- Special Teams. Retrieved from http://proxy.espn.com/nhl/statistics/team?stat=special-teams&sort=shortHandedGoalsAgainst&split=33&order=false.

HockeyReference.(2020). Ilya Samsonov Stats. Retrieved from https://www.hockey-reference.com/players/s/samsoil01.html.

NHL.com (2020). Anze Kopitar Stats and News. Retrieved from https://www.nhl.com/player/anze-kopitar-8471685.

TheScore. (2020). Pittsburgh Penguins @ Washington Capitals. Retrieved from https://www.thescore.com/nhl/events/22532.

Rivalry: Washington Capitals vs Pittsburgh Penguins

Washington Capitals (35-12-5) vs Pittsburgh Penguins (32-14-5)

 Predicted GoaltenderRecordGAA / SV% / # SO
Washington CapitalsIlya Samsonov16-2-12.08 / .927 / 1
Pittsburgh PenguinsTristan Jarry17-8-12.16 / .929 / 3
Goaltender Matchup

It’s time to witness another chapter in arguably the best rivalry in the National Hockey League; Capitals vs Penguins. For some reason, the schedule-makers wait until the final push for the playoffs to have these two face-off for the first time, and then go on to play one another four times before April. The last time Washington played Pittsburgh, on March 12th, 2019, they lost 5-3. In recent history, this rivalry has all but been split down the middle in wins and losses; through the 2010’s, Washington was 15-15-0 versus Pittsburgh, and is .520 all-time at home. With that being said, the Capitals have six wins in their last 11 meetings, four of which came during the Stanley Cup Playoffs of 2017-18, and we all remember how that season ended (mcubed).

On Friday, the Washington Capitals defeated the Ottawa Senators, 5-3. Ilya Samsonov started in goal for Washington for the first time since January 18th, and as usual, he impressed fans and coaching staff. TJ Oshie gave the Capitals an early lead with a deflection from John Carlson for his 19th goal of the season. At first, it was believed to be Evgeny Kuznetsovs’ goal, but upon further review the goal was credited to Oshie. Thomas Chabot was called for slashing at the 7:26 mark, but the Capitals did not convert on the opportunity. Short of the 11:30 mark, Evgeny Kuznetsov did score, albeit a fast-one that at first, we weren’t sure if the puck even crossed the goal line. His 17th of the season improved Washingtons’ lead to 2-0 heading into the second period. Ilya Samsonov, after facing just five shots, was challenged with a breakaway late in the first, and confidently made the stop. The Capitals earned their second man-advantage of the night just two minutes and 18 seconds into the middle period, but Washington would not convert. Not long after, Garnet Hathaway drew a tripping penalty, and despite having the man-advantage, the Capitals allowed yet another short-handed goal, this time to Chris Tierney. Washington has allowed five short-handed goals in eight games, and leads the league with nine since the start of the season. With one of the Senators’ five goals versus the Sabres coming short-handed, it was of great importance that the Caps’ control that growing problem. Alex Ovechkin re-instated the Caps’ two-goal lead with his 36th goal of the season, and 10th in 5 games. With his 694th career goal, Ovechkin tied Mark Messier on the all-time list. 64 seconds later, Thomas Chabot cut that lead once again. As expected, the Senators would begin to accumulate power plays as Dmitry Orlov was called for hooking. Ottawa’s power play was 6-for-11 heading into tonight’s match, but Washington’s 2nd-ranked penalty kill kept the score, 3-2. To start the third period, Ottawa received a power play as Washington was called for too-many-men. In a twist of fate, this time it was the Capitals that scored short-handed as Carl Hagelin potted his 4th of the season on the breakaway. Unfortunately, Washington was then called for hooking, and the Caps were right back to work on the penalty kill. Artem Anisimov snuck the puck past Samsonov to bring Ottawa right back into the game with another special teams goal. With just under four minutes remaining, Washington was gifted a four-minute double minor for high-sticking against Lars Eller. With Ottawa’s goaltender lifted, Alex Ovechkin potted his second goal of the night to now pass Mark Messier. Ilya Samsonov won his 11th straight start after allowing three goals on 29 shots. As predicted by yours truly, it was confirmed earlier today that Ilya Samsonov WILL get the start for the Capitals!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dDr8bxbF3Qo

The Pittsburgh Penguins defeated the Philadephia Flyers by a score of 4-3, in overtime, in the Battle of Pennsylvania, also on Friday night. Despite an injury-plagued line-up, Pittsburgh continues to keep winning. The first period was uneventful, aside from a singular Flyers power play. That man-advantage ended with Jakub Voracek scoring his 11th goal of the season with 29 seconds left in the period, giving Philadelphia a short-lived lead. Five seconds short of the four-minute mark in the middle period, Evgeni Malkin scored the game-tying goal with his 16th of the season. Despite missing 14 games due to injury, Malkin leads the Penguins in assists (35) and points (50). Just 10 seconds later, Pittsburgh received their first power play of the evening, and with his 22nd  goal of the season and his 5th in eight games, Bryan Rust gave the Penguins a 2-1 lead. Through 36 games, Rust has 22 goals (leads team) and 22 assists for 43 points (HockeyReference). With Travis Konecny in the penalty box for tripping, the Penguins received another power play shortly after their first, and Kris Letang improved his teams’ lead by a score of 3-1. For a fourth goal in the 2nd period, Tyler Pitlick brought the Flyers within one with his 5th of the season. Philadelphia started the third period on the remainder of a late Crosby penalty, but were unable to convert. However, it didn’t take long for Scott Laughton to score anyways, washing out Pittsburghs’ lead. With no additional goals, this game would go to overtime. Sidney Crosby, of course, ended up scoring the game-winning goal for Pittsburgh just 55 seconds into the overtime period. Goaltender Tristan Jarry made 26 saves on 29 shots to win his 17th of the season. Jarry is expected to start for the Penguins versus the Capitals.

The Pittsburgh Penguins have struggled with injuries all season long, but the list is getting shorter. However, the Penguins are still without Brian Dumoulin (DL, ankle), Nick Bjugstad (DL, abdomen), Jake Guentzel (DL, upper body), and Dominik Kahun (DL, concussion).

Coverage of the game begins at 11:30am with Caps Faceoff Live, followed by Caps Pregame Live at 12:00pm, all on NBCSN/NBCSWA, with puck drop shortly after 12:30pm.

References:

HockeyReference. (2020). Bryan Rust Stats. Retrieved from https://www.hockey-reference.com/players/r/rustbr01.html.

HockeyReference.(2020). Ilya Samsonov Stats. Retrieved from https://www.hockey-reference.com/players/s/samsoil01.html.

Mcubed. (2020). NHL : Series records: Washington Capitals against Pittsburgh Penguins. Retrieved from http://mcubed.net/nhl/wsh/pit.shtml.

TheScore. (2020). Pittsburgh Penguins Stats & News. Retrieved from https://www.thescore.com/nhl/teams/10.

Capitals in the Capitol: Washington Capitals vs Ottawa Senators

Washington Capitals (34-12-5) vs Ottawa Senators (18-23-9)

 Predicted GoaltenderRecordGAA / SV% / # SO
Washington CapitalsIlya Samsonov15-2-12.07 / .927 / 1
Ottawa SenatorsMarcus Hogberg2-2-62.90 / .912 / 0
Goaltender Matchup

A quick stop back at home and they’re off to Canada again. This time, the Washington Capitals traveled up to Canada’s capital city of Ottawa to take on the Senators for the 2nd time this month. Back on January 7th, Washington defeated the Senators by a score of 6-1. That game featured two goals each from TJ Oshie and Alex Ovechkin.

For this week’s round of Wednesday Night Hockey, the Washington Capitals squared up with the Nashville Predators, and ultimately lost 5-4. The Capitals hoped to end a losing streak in which the Predators had defeated Washington in seven consecutive matches. In what ended up being a weird night of hockey, we saw an own-goal by Nashville’s Nick Bonino, a short-handed goal allowed by Washington, and at times, some incredible goal tending. Richard Panik got on the board first, just short of the 10-minute mark of the first period with his 6th goal of the season. It didn’t take long (47 seconds to be exact) for Nashville to answer right back, with Jarred Tinordi tallying his first goal of the season. Tinordi had played just seven games with Nashville this season, serving primarily as a backup from losses to injury. Not even three minutes later, Mikael Granlund scored his 10th of the season, on the Nashville power play, as Dmitry Orlov was in the box for holding. At the 16:02 mark of the first, Rocco Grimaldi improved the Predators’ lead by two goals, but 24 seconds after that goal, Alex Ovechkin scored his 35th of the season. With the goal, Ovechkin officially passed Steve Yzerman and moved into 9th place on the all-time scoring list. The Capitals were unable to score on either power play in the first period, despite playing against the worst penalty kill team on the road. Six minutes and one second into the middle period, Richard Panik ‘scored’ his 7th goals of the season, and second of the game, which actually was scored by Rocco Grimaldi of the Predators on his own goal Juuse Saros. A failed clearing attempt ended up behind the Nashville back-up goalie, but Panik was the last Capitals player to touch the puck, so he received credit for the goal. On Washingtons’ fourth man-advantage of the evening, Tom Wilson tallied his 16th of the season, giving the Caps their first lead of the night. Washington received another power play in the third period, but would end up converting on just one of five on the night. The Capitals gave up yet another short-handed goal, something they’ve become incredibly good at, exactly three minutes into the third period. A botched clear by goaltender Braden Holtby ended up as a turn-over, and one-on-one, Ryan Johansen potted his 11th on the season to tie it up once more. With Johansen’s goal, the Capitals have allowed four short-handed goals in seven games. With just under five minutes remaining, Yannick Weber would seal an eighth consecutive win over Washington with his first goal of the season. The Predators were one-for-four on the man-advantage tonight, and Washington out-shot Nashville 33 to 24. Braden Holtby ended the night five goals on 24 shots, and finished with his second worst save percentage of the season of .792%. Ilya Samsonov will start versus the Senators, just as he did four weeks ago.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BNrpewudM24

The Ottawa Senators were last in action on Tuesday, where they defeated the Buffalo Senators 5-2 to end a seven-game winless streak on the road. One of those losses came to Washington, just seven games prior. Before the game was four minutes old, Jean-Gabriel Pageau tallied his 20th goal of the season, on the power play, giving Ottawa the early lead. That goal would set a new career-high for the centerman and mark the first 20-goal season of his career (Hockey-Reference). However, Seth Reinhart would tie the game at one goal apiece at the 13:42 mark with his 18th of the season, on the Sabres power play. Remarkably, not a single goal scored by the Senators came on even-strength. Tyler Ennis, on the Ottawa power play, at the 4:52 mark of the second period, gave the Senators back their lead with his 13th of the season. Four minutes later, Jack Eichel tallied his 29th of the season to tie the game once again. The third period saw three more Senators goals, two of which were empty-net goals. Eight minutes and 43 seconds in, Mike Reilly tallied his first of the season, again on the Ottawa power play. With Nikita Zaitsev in the penalty box for roughing, the Sabres elected to pull Linus Ullmark for the extra attacker to try and even up the score. But Mike Borowiecki had different plans. With just over two minutes left, Borowiecki potted an empty-net, short-handed goal to mark his 6th of the season. Exactly 120 seconds later, Nikita Zaitsev scored his first goal in his first season with the Senators, also with the vacated Buffalo net. Having out-shot the Sabres 39 to 30, Ottawa checked off their 18th win of the season. Craig Anderson ended his night with a .933 save percentage. Marcus Hogberg is slated to start for the Senators versus the Capitals.

The Senators are still struggling with injuries, and will be without the following players:

  • Clarke MacArthur (IR-NR, neck)
  • Ryan Callahan (IR-NR, back)
  • Marian Gaborik (IR-NR, back)
  • Anders Nilsson (DL, concussion)
  • Nick Paul (DL, ankle)
  • Christian Wolanin (IR-NR, shoulder).

Coverage of the game begins at 6:30pm with Caps Faceoff Live, followed by Caps Pregame Live at 7:00pm, all on NBCSN/NBCSWA, with puck drop shortly after 7:30pm.

References:

ESPN. (2020). 2019-20 NHL Hockey Stats and League Leaders. Retrieved from http://proxy.espn.com/nhl/statistics/team?stat=special-teams&sort=shortHandedGoals&split=34.

Hockey-Reference. (2020). Jean-Gabriel Pageau Stats. Retrieved from https://www.hockey-reference.com/players/p/pageaje01.html

TheScore. (2020). Ottawa Senators News & Stats. Retrieved from https://www.thescore.com/nhl/teams/4.

Rewriting History: Washington Capitals vs Nashville Predators

Washington Capitals (34-11-5) vs Nashville Predators (22-19-7)

 Predicted GoaltenderRecordGAA / SV% / # SO
Washington CapitalsBraden Holtby19-9-43.05 / .899 / 0
Nashville PredatorsJuuse Saros6-8-43.13 / .895 / 1
Goaltender Matchup

The Washington Capitals have returned home for their first game at Capital One Arena since before the All-Star Break, riding a four-game win streak, to take on the Nashville Predators. The last time these two teams played, back on October 10th, 2019, we saw a very high-scoring game end up in an eventual loss for Washington, 5-6 in regulation. The Capitals have actually lost seven consecutive games to the Predators, and have just two wins in their last 12 meetings (mcubed).

On Monday night, sans Alex Ovechkin, the Washington Capitals defeated the Montreal Canadiens, 4-2. An early goal by Jeff Petry gave Montreal a 1-0 lead just 115 seconds into the game. Tom Wilson found the back of the net on the Capitals 2nd power play of the evening to tie the game at one goal each. Just as the horn blew to signal the end of the first period, Phillip Danault was issued a minor penalty for high-sticking, so Washington began the second period on the power play. Although the Caps did not score on the man-advantage, a lucky bounce of the puck ended up behind Habs’ goaltender Carey Price three seconds later. In his first game since New Year’s Eve, Travis Boyd tallied his 3rd goal of the season, giving Washington their first lead of the night. Montreal received two power plays in the second, but were unable to convert on either opportunity. Just short of the 15-minute mark of the middle frame, Jakub Vrana potted his 23rd of the season, and therefore the Capitals would start the third with a two-goal lead. Much of the third period consisted of the Canadiens finding their game, and Washington playing too far on their heels. Veteran goaltender Braden Holtby was challenged with a number of difficult saves, and thankfully, he was up for that challenge. An awfully close call just five minutes into the third frame ended in an overwhelming sigh of relief for Caps fans as Holtby made the save of his season, keeping the score at 3-1 in favor of Washington. Dale Weise successfully cut into the Capitals lead with his first of the season just moments later. The third period would expire without any additional power plays for either team, and with Habs’ head-coach pulling Price for the extra skater, Nicklas Backstrom would ensure Washingtons’ 34th victory with an empty-net goal. Braden Holtby, after making 31 saves on 33 shots, marked his first regulation win in five starts. Holtby is expected to start between the pipes for Washington.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SzR4Ws9WHd0

The Nashville Predators lost to the Toronto Maple Leafs by a score of 5-2, also on Monday night. Four minutes and 13 seconds into the first period, William Nylander tallied his 23rd goal of the season, and his fourth in four straight games. Just 40 seconds later, Mikael Granlund tied the game with his 9th of the season. Zach Hyman improved Toronto’s lead by another goal not even three minutes later. Rasmus Sandin, who in nine games this season has four assists, scored his first goal at the 4:41 mark of the second period, giving the Leafs a 3-1 lead. With seven minutes left in the middle period, Jason Spezza potted his first goal in six games, helping Toronto to pull ahead yet again. The Predators’ penalty kill successfully kept the Leafs off the board on both man-advantages. Nashville’s penalty kill is among the worst in the league, coming in at 29th overall, and kills off just 73.6% of all penalties taken (TheScore). That percentage drops drastically when the Predators are traveling, to a league-worst 68.3% (ESPN). In 23 road games, the Predators have allowed 26 power play goals against. At the 12:52 mark of the third, Viktor Arvidsson tallied his 12th goal of the season, attempting to pull the Predators back into the game. Unfortunately, with his 35th goal, an empty-netter, Auston Matthews would seal the win for the Maple Leafs, and would hand the Predators their third loss in four games. Nashville out-shot the Leafs 35 to 31, but with four goals on 30 shots, Pekka Rinne marked his 11th regulation loss. Backup goaltender Juuse Saros is slated to start for the Predators. 

The Nashville Predators are still without Ryan Ellis, who suffered an upper-body injury during the Winter Classic versus the Dallas Stars (DL, upper body). Nashville is also without Colton Sissons (DL, lower body). Alex Ovechkin will return to the lineup, and Travis Boyd will find himself once again as a healthy scratch.

Coverage of the game begins at 6:30pm with Caps Faceoff Live, followed by Caps Pregame Live at 7:00pm, all on NBCSN/NBCSWA, with puck drop shortly after 7:30pm.

References:

ESPN. (2020). 2019-20 NHL Hockey Stats and League Leaders- Special Teams. Retrieved from http://proxy.espn.com/nhl/statistics/team?stat=special-teams&sort=shortHandedGoalsAgainst&split=33&order=false.

Mcubed. (2020). NHL : Series records : Washington Capitals against Nashville Predators. Retrieved from http://mcubed.net/nhl/wsh/nsh.shtml.

TheScore. (2020). Nashville Predators News & Stats. Retrieved from https://www.thescore.com/nhl/teams/19.

Back in Session: Washington Capitals vs Montreal Canadiens

Washington Capitals (33-11-5) vs Montreal Canadiens (22-21-7)

 Predicted GoaltenderRecordGAA / SV% / # SO
Washington CapitalsBraden Holtby18-9-43.09 / .897 / 0
Montreal CanadiensCarey Price20-16-42.84 / .908 / 2
Goaltender Matchup

After an extended bye week for the annual All-Star events, Capitals hockey is finally back! Fans had the opportunity to watch TJ Oshie, John Carlson, and Braden Holtby participate in the Skills competition and the All-Star Game, and bench boss Todd Reirden coach the Metropolitan team to an 9-5 loss to the Atlantic in the first game. The last time Washington played the Montreal Canadiens, the Habs defeated the Caps 5-2.

The Capitals are currently riding a three-game win streak, dating back to a 2-0 shutout over the Hurricanes, and ending just prior to the break with a thrilling 6-4 comeback win over the Islanders. As previously mentioned, as punishment for electing to skip the All-Star Game to preserve his health, Alex Ovechkin will serve his one-game suspension against the Montreal Canadiens. Last year, the Capitals were without Ovechkin for their first game after the break versus the then very dominant Calgary Flames. Washington ended a 7-game losing streak that night. This time, they hope to continue their win streak. Ovechkin started the scoring halfway through the first period with his 32nd goal of the season. Shortly thereafter, Brock Nelson put up a goal for the Islander, tying the game at one goal each. Just over two minutes later, it started to seem as though the Capitals were unravelling, as Casey Cizikas doubled up Washington, 2-1. The first period saw three Islanders power plays and one power play for the Caps, including a stint of 4-on-4 hockey, but neither team converted. Matt Martin and Radko Gudas exchanged pleasantries just under five minutes into the middle frame, and the two received matching penalties. At the 9:30 mark of the second. Jordan Eberle improved the Isles lead 3-1 on the power play with Brendan Leipsic in the box for roughing. The Capitals were gifted with two additional opportunities with the man-advantage, but failed yet again to tally a goal on either (Komarov, boarding)(Leddy, slashing). After allowing four unanswered goals on 18 shots, Washington elected to once again, pull Braden Holtby, and entrust Ilya Samsonov with the responsibility of keeping the score respectable. That, along with some changes in the lineup, was the switch the Capitals needed. Carl Hagelin, two minutes and 33 seconds into the third period, scored his 3rd of the season, and second goal in back-to-back games. Comeback initiated. Just under three minutes later, Alex Ovechkin potted his 2nd of the game, an 33rd of the season, cutting into the Isles lead by another goal. With 10 minutes left in the game, Washington was down by one, after trailing 4-1 heading into the third period. Tom Wilson snapped a seven-game goalless streak with his 14th goal of the season, and the game-tying goal, with just under six minutes left. For the fifth time this season, and 2nd time in the month of January, Jakub Vrana would score the eventual game-winning goal with just two and a half minutes left, all but completing yet another Capitals comeback (ESPN). With the goalie pulled, Barry Trotz’s Islanders attempted to right the ship after blowing a three-goal lead in the third, but Alex Ovechkin had other plans. The Capitals captain potted an empty-net goal with 56 seconds remaining, marking his third of the game, which also rounded out his second hat-trick in back-to-back games. In one night, Ovechkin passed Mario Lemieux, and tied Steve Yzerman on the all-time goals list. Ilya Samsonov stopped all seven shots he faced, and for just the 4th time this season, the Capitals were able to come back and win after allowing four goals against. Braden Holtby is expected to start for the Capitals versus Montreal.

The Montreal Canadiens, after a rough start, are still struggling to string together consecutive wins, but managed to win in the shootout, 5-4 versus the Golden Knights back on January 18th. Nick Cousins, Ilya Kovalchuk, and Joel Armia scored for the Habs in the first period, giving them a hefty 3-0 lead. Both the Canadiens and the Golden Knights received one power play each in the first period, but neither team converted. Vegas also received a power play in the third but they did not convert. The Habs’ power play is ranked 12th of 31, operating at a 20.6% efficiency is slightly better than Washingtons’ (20.3%) (TheScore, Montreal)(TheScore, Washington). Jonathan Marchesseault and Paul Stasny cut into Montreals’ lead with two goals in the middle frame, but the Canadiens still led heading into the third. Cousins went on to score his 2nd of the game and 7th of the season just short of the 10-minute mark, re-instating the Habs’ two-goal lead. However, in the final two minutes of the game, Max Pacioretty and Riley Smith would come back to tie the game, 4-4, giving Marc-Andre Fleury and his Golden Knights the chance to earn an extra point. The overtime period saw the Habs severely outshoot Vegas 7-1, but it took a shootout to settle the score. In the fourth round, with one successful attempt per team, it was Tomas Tatar that won it for the Canadiens, marking their 4th win in five games. Tatar leads the team in goals (17), assists (26), and points (43) (HockeyReference). Seven of his goals have come on the power play, and his shot percentage is the best among 10+ goal-scorers (14.3%). However, the left-winger has just one goal in his last 11 games, but it is worth noting that the singular goal versus the Flyers was accompanied by two additional assists. Two goals behind is Brendan Gallagher, who has 15 on the season, but he is not expected to dress tonight. Habs’ veteran goaltender Carey Price stopped 30 of 34 shots versus Vegas, and is expected to start against Washington.

The Capitals will be without Alex Ovechkin due to ‘suspension’. The Montreal Canadiens are without Paul Byron (DL, knee), Jonathan Drouin (DL, wrist), and Brendan Gallagher (OUT, head).

Coverage of the game begins at 6:00pm with Caps Faceoff Live, followed by Caps Pregame Live at 6:30pm, all on NBCSN/NBCSWA, with puck drop shortly after 7:00pm.

References:

ESPN. (2020). Jakub Vrana Game by Game Stats and Performance. Retrieved from http://www.espn.com/nhl/player/gamelog/_/id/3114747/jakub-vrana.

HockeyReference. (2020). Tomas Tatar Stats. Retrieved from https://www.hockey-reference.com/players/t/tatarto01.html.

TheScore. (2020). Montreal Canadiens News & Stats. Retrieved from https://www.thescore.com/nhl/teams/3.

TheScore. (2020). Washington Capitals News and Stats. Retrieved from https://www.thescore.com/nhl/teams/15.