Author: Kassie Coulson

Revenge in Raleigh: Washington Capitals vs Carolina Hurricanes

Washington Capitals (27-7-5) vs Carolina Hurricanes (22-14-2)

 Predicted GoaltenderRecordGAA / SV% / # SO
Washington CapitalsBraden Holtby17-5-42.87 / .907 / 0
Carolina HurricanesPetr Mrazek14-8-22.68 / .902 / 2
Goaltender Matchup

In the second night of this back-to-back, the Washington Capitals head to Raleigh, North Carolina to take on the Carolina Hurricanes. The last time these two teams met was on the night of the Capitals home opener, and Carolina took down Washington by a score of 3-2.

Last night, the Capitals defeated the Columbus Blue Jackets (finally), 2-1, in overtime. Michal Kempny did not play due to illness, and Christian Djoos was recalled from Hershey to fill in for the defenseman. Washington has managed to defeat Columbus just once in their last six meetings, and have lost to the Blue Jackets in four straight. The first period was scoreless and lacked even a single power play. Both teams had a handful of great scoring chances, but neither would solve the oppositions’ goal tender. Columbus received the first power play of the game as Tom Wilson was called for tripping, but the Caps’ 2nd ranked penalty kill would keep the Blue Jackets from scoring. John Tortorella’s team would receive just one more man-advantage, and they would fail to convert. Riddled by injuries, Columbus has been forced to utilize many of their AHL’ers and Jakob Lilja, in just his third game since November 1st, would score his first of the season, giving the Blue Jackets a 1-0 lead halfway through the game. Evgeny Kuznetsov and Tom Wilson appeared to suffer leg injuries, but both were able to finish the game. Carl Hagelin, also with his first of the year, tied the game at one goal each at the 6:13 mark of the third period. Washington, in their previous two games against Columbus, have been outscored 8-2, but this one was much closer. The Capitals, in a twist of fate, received five power play opportunities, but it was the last one of the game that would mean the most. Just about halfway through the overtime period, Nathan Gerbe would be called for hooking, giving the Capitals an extra skater. Not even 60 seconds later, TJ Oshie, overtime hero, would finally solve Joonas Korpisalo, who had been lights out all night. With his 15th goal of the season, Oshie would help Washington to finally defeat the Blue Jackets, and improve the teams’ record to 27-7-5. Ilya Samonsov, allowing just one goal on 28 shots, ended the night with a .964 save percentage. Braden Holtby is slated to start versus Carolina.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXyzryTc5iE

The Carolina Hurricanes also played last night, and despite scoring first, ultimately lost to the New York Rangers, 5-3. Carolina is currently riding a three-game win-less streak, but has only lost three or more consecutive games three times this season. Lucas Wallmark started off the scoring just five minutes and 15 seconds into the first period, but Carolina was unable to convert of either of their two first period power plays. Mika Zibanejad, at the 16:31 mark, scored his 13th of the season on the Rangers power play, after Warren Foegele went off for interference six seconds earlier. The Rangers would go on to score three more goals in the 2nd period. Chris Kreider at the 1:27 mark, Artemi Panarin six minutes later, and Zibanejad (2nd of the game) again on the power play gave New York a comfortable 4-1 lead. Brett Pesce cut that lead in half with just under three minutes left in the period. Sebastian Aho scored his 22nd of the year just one minute and forty seconds into the third period, leaving Carolina just one goal away from tying the Rangers, but Ryan Strome would make it 5-3 at the 13:49 mark. Of the four power plays received, New York converted on two. Carolina severely outshot the Rangers 42-24, but an 0-for-5 Canes power play handed Rod Brind’amours team their 14th regulation loss of the season. Interestingly, the Hurricanes special teams are among the top 10 in the league, with their power play clocking in at 7th best (23.1%) and their penalty killing coming in at 8th (82.6%) (TheScore). Petr Mrazek is just 3-5-2 all-time versus the Capitals, and he is expected to start for Carolina (HockeyReference).

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:

HockeyReference. (2019). Petr Mrazek Career Splits. Retrieved from https://www.hockey-reference.com/players/m/mrazepe01/splits/.

TheScore. (2019). Carolina Hurricanes at New York Rangers. Retrieved from https://www.thescore.com/nhl/events/22310.

TheScore. (2019). Carolina Hurricanes News & Stats. Retrieved from https://www.thescore.com/nhl/teams/12.

*UPDATED* Right Back At It: Washington Capitals vs Columbus Blue Jackets

Washington Capitals (26-7-5) vs Columbus Blue Jackets (17-14-6)

  Predicted Goaltender Record GAA / SV% / # SO
Washington Capitals Braden Holtby 17-5-4 2.87 / .907 / 0
Columbus Blue Jackets Joonas Korpisalo 17-10-3 2.54 / .911 / 2
Goaltender Matchup

After a much-needed holiday break, the Washington Capitals are back at it again as they take on the Columbus Blue Jackets for the third time in December. Columbus has defeated the Caps in their first two meetings, each coming just seven days apart. Their last win was a 3-0 shutout win on home ice. The Capitals want to reverse that curse, this time, at home.

On Monday, the Washington Capitals lost to the Boston Bruins for just the second time in 18 meetings, and the first time in TD Garden since 2014. The defeat came in the form of a brutal 7-3 annihilation. The Capitals were assessed nine penalties across three periods, although three were doled out equally to both teams. The Boston Bruins put up four goals in the first period, each just within minutes of each other. The first and last Bruins goal were scored on the power play. Nick Jensen went off for high-sticking just 90 seconds into the game. As soon as that penalty was killed off by the Caps, Radko Gudas was called for hooking. Nine seconds later, Jake DeBrusk tallied his 9th goal of the season. Washington received a power play just short of the nine-minute mark (McAvoy, tripping), but would not convert. At the 13:29 mark, Brad Marchand scored his 19th of the season, and 27 seconds later, Anders Bjork improved the Bruins lead by three. Garnet Hathaway and Connor Clifton received matching two-minute minors, but neither the Caps nor the Bruins scored on the four-on-four. Jakub Vrana would be called for tripping, and on the delayed penalty, Evgeny Kuznetsov was also called for slashing. Boston received a 5-on-3, two-man advantage, and with just over a minute left in the period, Patrice Bergeron scored his 14th of the year. Braden Holtby was pulled after the first, and Ilya Samonsov was entrusted with keeping the game manageable. The second period saw two more Capitals power plays, that were unable to get the good guys on the board. Conversely, Charlie Coyle scored short-handed, increasing the Bruins lead to a span of 5-0. Alex Ovechkin would finally get the Caps on the board at the 14:35 mark with his 23rd of the season. Shortly thereafter, John Carlson was called for slashing, but Boston did not convert. The Bruins were gifted another power play early in the third period, but did not convert (Ovechkin, holding). The Capitals have been called for the third most minor penalties across the entire league. Although the penalty kill is among the top five in the league, Washington has a MAJOR penalty problem. Boston, however, more than any other team, is called for ‘too-many-men’ bench minors nearly every game, and the Capitals had the chance to cut the Bruins lead short of the eight-minute mark of the third. Tom Wilson and David Pastrnak would get involved, and both would be assessed roughing penalties. Wilson received an additional 10-minute misconduct penalty, and would have his night cut short. At the same time, Boston would receive another bench minor penalty for too-many-men. Lars Eller dug into the Bruins lead with his 8th of the season, but 1:30 later, after electing to pull Holtby, David Krejci would extend that lead once again with an empty-net goal. Washington leads the league in extra-attacker offense when pulling the goalie, and Garnet Hathaway backed up that stat with his 6th goal of the year, bringing the score to 6-3. Unfortunately, Patrice Bergeron would go on to score his 2nd of the game, another empty-netter, sealing the 7-3 win. Given the circumstances, Samsonov held his own against an incredibly talented team, and lost just his second game in which he finished as relief. Samsonov is expected to start against the Blue Jackets.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fb1Adolluf4
Capitals vs Bruins Recap

Also on Monday, The Columbus Blue Jackets defeated the New York Islanders, 3-2. Impressively, the Blue Jackets are riding a five-game win streak, kicked off by with a 5-2 win over the Capitals on December 16th. Although Anders Lee got the Islanders on the board first, two second period goals from the Blue Jackets and a third in the third period lifted them over the New York powerhouse. Columbus killed off all three Islanders power plays, helping to improve their penalty kill to 81%, good enough for 15th (Gerbe, tripping)(Nyquist, roughing)(Dubois, hooking)(TheScore, Columbus). Kevin Stenlund tied the game at the 6:18 mark of the second period, and just over three minutes later, Nathan Gerbe, with his first goal of the season, gave the Blue Jackets their first lead. Mathew Barzal then tied the game at two goals apiece at the 13:40, but his goal would be the last the Isles scored this time. Much of the third period was uneventful, aside from some four-on-four play early on. It was Vladislav Gavrikov, with his 4th of the season, that would score the game-winner for Columbus. The shots in this one were very evenly matched, with the Islanders edging out the Blue Jackets, 37-35. Columbus’ face-off percentage is only 0.1% worse than the Caps (49.4%), but their overall shot percentage is a measly 7.9%. Joonas Korpisalo tallied his 17th win of the year and ended his night with an outstanding .946 save percentage (TheScore, CBJ @ NYI). Korpisalo is expected to start for the Blue Jackets.

Michal Kempny and Radko Gudas did not skate this morning, due to illness. Both will be game-time decisions per head coach Todd Reirden. Washington has recalled Christian Djoos from the Hershey Bears.

Columbus is still struggling with a laundry list of injuries, of which you can learn more about below. Those highlighted are new injuries. Since the last time these two teams played, Zach Werenski and Kole Sherwood are back in the lineup:

  • C- Brandon Dubinsky (DL, wrist)
  • RW- Cam Atkinson (DTD, lower body)
  • D- Ryan Murray (DTD, upper body)
  • RW- Josh Anderson (DTD, upper body)
  • RW- Oliver Bjorkstrand (DL, ribs)
  • LW- Sonny Milano (DTD, upper body)
  • D- Markus Nutivaara (DL, upper body)
  • D- Andrew Peeke (DL, finger)
  • RW- Emil Bemstrom (OUT, upper body)

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:

TheScore. (2019). Columbus Blue Jackets at New York Islanders. Retrieved from https://www.thescore.com/nhl/events/22299.

TheScore. (2019). Columbus Blue Jackets News & Stats. Retrieved from https://www.thescore.com/nhl/teams/17.

TheScore. (2019). Washington Capitals at Boston Bruins. Retrieved from https://www.thescore.com/nhl/events/22297.

In First Win for Boston at Home since March 2014, Bruins drop Caps 7-3

Washington Capitals (26-7-5) vs Boston Bruins (22-7-9)

TLDR; Bruins end three-game skid, defeat Capitals for first time at home since March 6th 2014, Alex Ovechkin scores 23rd of the year.

The Washington Capitals had the chance to complete another regular season sweep, this time against the Boston Bruins. Although the Bruins are just 1-12-4 against the Capitals in their last 17 games, and 1-4-4 in their last nine, two early power plays for Boston helped them establish an early lead. The majority of the first frame was played in the Caps’ defensive zone, and a high-sticking penalty against Nick Jensen gave the Bruins their first man-advantage at the 1:30 mark. Just as soon as that penalty was successfully killed off, Radko Gudas was called for hooking. Not even 10 seconds into the power play, Jake DeBrusk scored his 9th of the season, and his very first goal against Washington and Braden Holtby. The Capitals did not register even a single shot on goal until the nine-minute mark. Washington received their first power play as Charlie McAvoy went off for tripping just short of the nine-minute mark but did not convert. Alex Ovechkin had a spectacular opportunity on a wide-open net during that power play, but Rask stopped him just short. Brad Marchand improved Boston’s lead by two goals at the 13:29 mark. His 19th goal of the season was just his first in 12 games, with the last goal coming on November 27th. Less than 30 seconds later, Anders Bjork gave the Bruins a 3-0 lead with his 6th of the season, and like DeBrusk, his first goal against Washington. Garnet Hathaway and Connor Clifton received matching penalties 50 seconds later (cross-checking, slashing) and play continued as four-on-four. With under three minutes remaining in an already-exhausting period, both Jakub Vrana and Evgeny Kuznetsov were called for penalties (tripping, slashing) and the Bruins received a 5-on-3 opportunity to improve their lead once again. Patrice Bergeron would do just that, with his 14th goal, at the 18:57 mark. Caps’ head coach Todd Reirden certainly tried to get ‘the message’ across, as neither Vrana nor Kuznetsov played more than a handful of shifts for much of the second period. A period that simply could not end soon enough saw Washington falling behind four goals to none heading into the second.

Image

Washington needed a strong second period showing if they wanted a fighting chance against the Bruins. The Capitals elected to replace Holtby with Ilya Samsonov at the start of the middle frame. Samsonov was challenged with a Boston breakaway early on, but stood tall. Washington received back-to-back power plays as Jake DeBrusk and David Krejci were called for slashing and tripping, respectively. Caps’ center Evgeny Kuznetsov had two excellent opportunities presented to him on the man-advantage, but couldn’t convert. With 12 seconds remaining on the Krejci penalty, Charlie Coyle scored short-handed, improving the Bruins lead to 5-0. Tonight’s match was just the second time the Capitals have allowed five or more goals, on the road. Washington played a much more physical game in the middle frame, and it eventually paid off. Alex Ovechkin, with his 23rd goal of the season, spoiled Tuukka Rask’s shutout hopes, after lots of patience and a rocket of a shot. Yes, the Capitals haven’t had the best night, but Rask has also been nearly unbeatable all night. John Carlson was called for slashing shortly thereafter, but Washington was able to kill off that penalty. Trailing by four, the Capitals out-shot Boston, 17-2.

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The third and final frame started off with a Boston power play, as Alex Ovechkin was called for holding, although many would argue the legitimacy of the call. Tom Wilson nearly scored short-handed on the Bruins man-advantage. The Capitals would keep Boston from scoring a third power play goal. The Bruins have been assessed bench minor penalties for too-many-men more times than any other team this season, and they would be called for the same penalty with just over 12 minutes remaining. Washington, despite the strong penalty kill, has not scored a power play goal in five games, heading into tonight. Tom Wilson and David Pastrnak got involved right in front of the benches, and a full-out melee broke out shortly thereafter. Both received matching minor penalties for roughing, but Tom Wilson was given an additional 10-minute misconduct penalty. After all was said and done, the Capitals were gifted another power play. Jakub Vrana shot the puck towards Rask, and tipped off Lars Ellers’ stick past the Bruins goaltender, giving the Caps two goals on the night. With just over three minutes remaining, the Capitals elected to pull Samsonov, but David Krejci would score an empty-net goal. At the 17:47 mark, Garnet Hathaway got Washingtons’ third goal on the board. Patrice Bergeron would score another empty-net goal with 28 seconds left. The Boston Bruins ultimately took down the Washington Capitals, 7-3, for just the second time in 18 meetings.

12-23 at BOS-3

Line Combinations:

Washington Capitals

Ovechkin – Backstrom – Wilson

Vrana – Kuznetsov – Oshie

Hagelin – Eller – Panik

Leipsic – Dowd – Hathaway

Kempny – Carlson

Orlov – Jensen

Siegenthaler – Gudas

Holtby

Boston Bruins

Marchand - Bergeron - Pastrnak

DeBrusk – Krejci - Heinen

Nordstrom - Coyle - Bjork

Kuraly – Lindholm – Ritchie

Moore – McAvoy

Krug - Carlo

Grzelcyk - Clifton

Rask

TXHT’s Three Takeaways of the Game

  1. The Capitals desperately need to fix their penalty problem.
  2. Is this the start of the Caps Annual Mid-Season Slump?
  3. Washingtons’ penalty kill is good, but the power play needs improvement.

Capitals Road Ahead

Washington Capitals (26-7-5) vs Columbus Blue Jackets (17-14-6)

Carolina Hurricanes (22-12-2) @ Washington Capitals (26-7-5)

Best in Snow: Washington Capitals vs Boston Bruins

Washington Capitals (27-6-5) vs Boston Bruins (12-7-9)

 Predicted GoaltenderRecordGAA / SV% / # SO
Washington CapitalsBraden Holtby17-4-42.75 / .911 / 0
Boston BruinsTuukka Rask13-4-52.28 / .922 / 2
Goaltender Matchup

The Washington Capitals have shipped up to Boston to take on the Bruins for one last game before the holiday break. Historically, the Capitals are exquisite against the Bruins… Can Washington check off another wish on our list, and snag a win in Boston?

On Saturday, in the second game of a back-to-back, the Washington Capitals defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning, 3-1, for the third and final time this regular season. At last moment’s notice, the Lightning decided to start back-up goaltender Curtis McElhinney over Vasilevskiy, but the switch-up didn’t seem to faze the Capitals. The first period was score-less, despite two power plays for each team. Tampa was assessed a bench minor penalty for too-many-men and Mitchell Stephens for high-sticking, and Washington, for hooking (Ovechkin) and interference (Wilson). Four-on-four play would resume for 12 seconds after Wilson was called for his penalty. Tampa would not convert on the remainder of their power play. Four minutes and 40 seconds into the second period, defenseman Radko Gudas scored the first goal of the game, and his first of the season to give the Capitals a 1-0 lead. The third period saw four Tampa power plays, including a 5-on-3 opportunity, and just one Bolts’ goal, at even strength. Jan Rutta was called for holding at the 4:29 mark, but Washington did not convert. 10 minutes into the final frame, Nikita Kucherov tallied his 12th of the season, tying the game at one goal each. Nick Jensen was called for interference 35 seconds later, and then Lars Eller for delay of game, giving Tampa a perfect opportunity with the two man-advantage to give themselves their first lead. Washingtons’ successful kill was imperative to their win on Saturday. The Capitals’ ability to kill off seven, (yes, seven) Tampa power plays helped improve Washingtons’ penalty kill to 2nd best in the league (85.7%). While we all would like for the Capitals to simply cut back on the number of penalties taken per game, it is extremely encouraging to know that this roster is so effective when faced with a challenge. Dmitry Orlov scored the eventual game-winning goal at the 13:57 mark, but Tampa would receive another chance on the power play as Jonas Siegenthaler was called for slashing. Luckily, Nic Dowd sealed the win with an empty-net, short-handed goal with just under three minutes remaining in the game. Ending the night with a .963 save percentage, Braden Holtby snagged his 17th win of the season. Holtby is expected to start against the Bruins.

Also on Saturday. The Boston Bruins lost to the Nashville Predators, 4-3 in overtime. Boston scores, on average, 3.32 goals per game, good enough for 7th, but the also allow the 2nd most goals against at 2.49 per game (TheScore, Boston). The first period saw two Nashville power plays, and one for the Bruins, but neither team would convert. Par Lindholm would score first, at the 7:30 mark of the second period, but less than five minutes later, Roman Josi tied the game, with his 12th goal of the season. Filip Forsberg went off for roughing with three minutes left in the second, and Patrice Bergeron would give Boston the 2-1 lead heading into the third period. Filip Forsberg would tie it all up, and 35 seconds later, Roman Josi potted his second of the game past Jaroslav Halak. With just 65 seconds left, and Nashville leading by 1, Patrice Bergeron scored his second of the game to give Boston the chance to sneak out with at least one point, and battle for a second. Ryan Ellis would be the one to win it for Nashville in overtime, handing Boston their third straight loss, and 8th in their last 9 games. Halak finished the night with a .862 save percentage, after allowing four goals on 29 shots. Tuukka Rask is slated to start for Boston, but we may see a goalie change prior to puck drop.

Boston is still struggling with injuries, and will be without the following players:

  • Zdeno Chara (OUT, Jaw)
  • John Moore (DTD, illness)
  • Kevan Miller (IR-NR, kneecap)
  • Anton Blidh (IR-NR, shoulder)
  • Karson Kuhlman (DL, leg)

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:

TheScore. (2019). Boston Bruins News & Stats. Retrieved from https://www.thescore.com/nhl/teams/1.

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

When Thunder Roars: Washington Capitals vs Tampa Bay Lightning

Washington Capitals (26-6-5) vs Tampa Bay Lightning (17-12-4)

 

Predicted Goaltender

Record

GAA / SV% / # SO

Washington Capitals

Braden Holtby

15-2-4

2.78 / .910 / 0

Tampa Bay Lightning

Andrei Vasilevskiy

14-9-2

2.88 / .906 / 0
Goalie Matchup

Last night, the Washington Capitals headed back home to D.C. after a dance with the Devils in New Jersey. This is the second time in a seven-day span that the Caps will face off against the Tampa Bay Lightning, and fans are optimistic that Washington will repeat last week’s success in a similar fashion. The last time the Capitals swept Tampa in a season series was in 2015, as they took two games at home, and one away. Washington has taken both games in their two most recent back-to-backs, which featured an overtime win (TBL)/win (DET), and win(SJS)/win(LAK).

Last night, the Washington Capitals defeated the New Jersey Devils, 6-3 on the road. Rookie goaltender Ilya Samsonov tallied his fourth consecutive win, and 9th of the season. The Devils received the first power play of the game, as Jonas Siegenthaler was called for hooking, and Kyle Palmieri, with his 14th of the season, gave New Jersey an early 1-0 lead. Brendan Leipsic was then called for delay of game with under five minutes remaining in the first, and a successful kill was all the Capitals needed to turn this game around. In their 900th game together, both Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom would tally goals, 70 seconds apart, to give Washington a 2-1 lead heading into the second period. Backstrom also recorded the primary assist on Ovechkins’ 22nd goal of the season. Just over four minutes into the middle frame, Blake Coleman would tie the game with a goal that arguably should have been called back for goaltender interference, but a goal that ultimately stood. Dmitry Orlov went off for slashing at the 11:41 mark, and the Capitals were able to kill off that penalty as well. Washington was given their first and only man-advantage as Sami Vantanen was called for slashing, though they would not convert. Tempers flared when Miles Wood and Garnet Hathaway got involved with just over 60 seconds left in the second period, and both received matching minors. Play resumed as 4-on-4, and at the 19:31 mark, Nicklas Backstrom scored his 2nd goal of the game, giving Washington its’ lead back. On the tail end of the matching minors, John Carlson scored his 13th goal of the season, just 42 seconds into the third. On a monumental night for Backstrom, not only did he play in his 900th game with Ovechkin, but he also tallied his 900th career point. Jonas Siegenthaler made it 5-2, Caps with the second goal of the night from a defenseman, six minutes later. After allowing 5 goals on 26 shots, the Devils elected to swap out MacKenzie Blackwood for Gilles Senn, who was forced with making his NHL ‘debut’. With five minutes left in the game, Richard Panik, who has registered high-danger shots in 13 of his last 17 games, again improved the Capitals lead by a tally of 6-2. Miles Wood gave hometown Devils fans something to cheer about as he scored his 4th of the season with just over 20 seconds left in the match, but Washington was the clear winner this time. Ilya Samsonov ended the night with 24 saves on 27 shots. Braden Holtby is slated to play tonight on the second night of this back-to-back.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=58o2omjYT7E

The Tampa Bay Lightning lost to the Dallas Stars on Thursday night by a score of 4-3 in overtime.  The Stars received the first power play of the game just beyond the three-minute mark of the opening frame as Carter Verhaeghe went off for tripping. Alexander Radulov converted with his 10th goal of the season, giving the Stars a 1-0 lead at the 4:09 mark. Roope Hintz was called for tripping at the 8:28 mark, and while the Stars were able to kill off that penalty, they would not succeed in keeping the Bolts from scoring on their two consecutive power plays. Mikhail Sergachev and Alex Killorn gave Tampa a 2-1 lead within a span of two and a half minutes. Ondrej Palat improved that lead to a marker of 3-1 at the 3:22 mark of the second. But Radek Faksa would bring the Stars within one with just over two minutes remaining in the period. Not a single penalty was called in the second period, and the only goal-scoring of the third would come from Jason Dickinson of the Stars, as he tied the game 3-3 with less than five minutes left in the match. This one would ultimately go to overtime, and despite a number of incredible opportunities by both teams, it was Tyler Seguin who would win it for the Stars (doesn’t that sound familiar?). Tampa’s 2nd ranked power play converted on 2/3 opportunities with the man advantage, but their 17th ranked penalty kill was unable to keep the Stars from scoring on theirs. Coincidentally, the Bolts last game, against Ottawa, resulted in a 4-3 overtime win by Tampa. Andrei Vasilevskiy is expected to start against the Capitals, just as he did one week ago.

The Tampa Bay Lightning are still without defenseman Braydon Coburn (DL, lower body).

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:

Mcubed. (2019). NHL : Series records : Washington Capitals against Tampa Bay Lightning. Retrieved from http://mcubed.net/nhl/wsh/tb.shtml.

TheScore. (2019). Dallas Stars at Tampa Bay Lightning. Retrieved from https://www.thescore.com/nhl/events/22265.

TheScore. (2019). Tampa Bay Lightning News & Stats. Retrieved from https://www.thescore.com/nhl/teams/14.

Devilish Looks; Washington Capitals vs New Jersey Devils

Washington Capitals (24-6-5) vs New Jersey Devils (11-17-5)

 Predicted GoaltenderRecordGAA / SV% / # SO
Washington CapitalsIlya Samsonov8-2-12.38 / .918 / 0
New Jersey DevilsMacKenzie Blackwood9-9-42.85 / .908 / 1

The Washington Capitals are looking to redeem themselves from their first shutout of the season as they face off against the New Jersey Devils. Washington defeated the Devils in a convincing 4-1 win back on March 19th, and since 2014, the Caps have won 16 of 19 meetings against New Jersey (mcubed).

On Monday, the Washington Capitals handed the Columbus Blue Jackets a second win over the league leaders, in just seven days. Another slow start and a 0/4 power play proved to be too costly for the Capitals. Columbus’ only wins in the month of November have come versus the Capitals, and one can only hope that Washington won’t have to face John Tortorella’s Blue Jackets in the post season. Prior to this meeting, the Capitals had not yet failed to score at least one goal through 35 games. Blue Jackets goaltender Joonas Korpisalo tallied his second shutout of the season, and Oliver Bjorkstrand scored his 8th and 9th goals of the season. Braden Holtby had to be, and was, exceptional despite the loss, as he kept the game within reach for Washington for nearly the entire 60 minutes. Moments after Washington killed off Columbus’ first power play (Carlson, interference), Eric Robinson would score his 4th of the season, giving Columbus a 1-0 lead. Washington received their first power play (Cam Atkinson, high-sticking), but the Capitals only registered two shots on goal. They received a second opportunity with the man advantage at the 19:14 mark (David Savard, hooking), but again, failed to convert. The entirety of the second period was score-less, although Washington had some of their best looks in the middle frame. Columbus killed off two penalties (Wennberg, hooking)(Stenlund, holding the stick), and the Capitals kept the Blue Jackets off the board during their man-advantage (Vrana, holding). The Capitals actually out-shot the Blue Jackets 8-to-2, which was much improved over the first period stats. Just 32 seconds into the final frame, Oliver Bjorkstrand finally potted the puck past Holtby. In support of Korpisalo’s shutout bid, Bjorkstrand would score his 9th of the season at the 8:46 mark. His second of the night came off of a neutral zone turnover mixed in with a sloppy line change. With just over five minutes remaining, Caps’ head coach Todd Reirden elected to pull Braden Holtby in hopes of avoiding a shutout. While Washington did not end up scoring in this one, Tom Wilson and David Savard became involved with just over three minutes left, and both hit the showers early with matching penalties. Savard received an extra 10-minute misconduct penalty. Braden Holtby dropped just his 2nd loss in seven starts, and ended the night with a .857 save percentage. Ilya Samsonov is expected to start for the Caps on their first of this back-to-back.

The New Jersey Devils were last in action on Wednesday night, where they defeated the Anaheim Ducks, 3-1. With just their second win since November 28th, New Jersey is sitting in 30th (of 31) in the league, and are just 3-6-1 in their last 10. Although there isn’t much good to speak of when referring to the Devils, just the other day, Taylor Hall was traded from New Jersey to the Arizona Coyotes for ‘Nick Merkley, Kevin Bahl, Nate Schnarr, 2020 1st round pick, Conditional 2021 3rd round pick (can become a 1st or 2nd)’. Also, to the surprise of many, the Devils had won a second consecutive game for just the 4th time all season. Although Adam Henrique started the scoring, just three minutes and 33 seconds into the first, the Devils would rally back and then extend their lead to a score of 3-1. New Jersey received four power plays, two in the second period (Lindholm, interference)(Del Zotto, interference) a modified power play with just over a minute remaining in the middle frame (Fowler, hooking), and one in the third (Lindholm, holding) (TheScore, ANA @ NJD). Nico Hischier scored the game-tying goal just 88 seconds into the second period, his 6th of the season. Kyle Palmieri scored his 13th of the season, the eventual game-winning goal, 10 minutes later on the Devils’ power play. New Jerseys’ power play is ranked 30th (of 31), operating at just 12.8% efficiency (TheScore, New Jersey Devils). The Devils had not scored a power play goal since losing 6-4 to the Nashville Predators 13 days ago. That calculates out to just one power play goal in 13 opportunities. Sami Vatanen then improved the Devils’ lead by two, 60 seconds into the final frame, also on the power play. Kyle Palmieri impressively leads his team with five of his 12 goals coming on the power play. The Devils were out-shot 27 to 20, and despite being held to single-digit shots throughout the full 60 minutes, goaltender MacKenzie Blackwood tallied his 10th win of the season, and ended his night with a .963 save percentage. Blackwood is expected to start for the Devils.

The New Jersey Devils will be without the services of Louis Domingue (DL, lower body) and Matt Tennyson (DL, upper body).

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

Mcubed. (2019). NHL : Series records : Washington Capitals against New Jersey Devils. Retrieved from http://mcubed.net/nhl/wsh/nj.shtml.

TheScore. (2019). Anaheim Ducks at New Jersey Devils. Retrieved from https://www.thescore.com/nhl/events/22261.

TheScore. (2019). New Jersey Devils News & Stats. Retrieved from https://www.thescore.com/nhl/teams/6

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

Bombs Away in Columbus, Caps Shutout for First Time: Post-Game

Washington Capitals (24-6-5; 53 pts) v. Columbus Blue Jackets (13-14-6; 32 pts)

TLDR; Joonas Korpisalo hands the Capitals their first shutout loss of the season, Oliver Bjorkstrand tallies two, Washington still leads Metro.

As has been customary for the Capitals, the first 20 minutes were slow and rambling. Caps’ goaltender Braden Holtby was challenged early, forced to make a point-blank stop just 60 seconds in. Similar to Washington’s last game against Columbus, one week ago, the Blue Jackets dominated play, and kept the Caps in their defensive zone for much of the period. Alex Ovechkin was gifted a perfect shot opportunity just beyond the eight-minute mark of the period, but was unable to solve Korpisalo. Columbus received the first power play of the game as John Carlson was called for interference, but the Caps’ 4th ranked penalty kill successfully kept the Blue Jackets’ 21st ranked power play off the board. Dmitry Orlov has been extremely good on the penalty kill so far this season. Unfortunately, one minute later, Eric Robinson would score his 4th of the season, giving Columbus a 1-0 lead. Just moments after Robinson’s goal, Oliver Bjorkstrand nearly made it 2-0 in favor of the Blue Jackets. Impressively (?), Columbus has managed to win each game in which they’ve scored first. Washington received their first power play as Cam Atkinson went off for high-sticking against Garnet Hathaway. The Capitals only registered two shots on goal through their first power play, but received a second opportunity with the man advantage at the 19:14 mark, as David Savard was called for hooking. The Capitals, down 0-1 heading into the intermission, would start the second period on the power play.

End of 1st 

 

Washington

Columbus

Shots

8

14

Faceoffs Won

9

13

Hits

5

7

Power Play

0/2+

0/1


Washington started the second with the remainder of a late-first period power play. Columbus goaltender Joonas Korpisalo robbed TJ Oshie of the equalizer, and Washingtons’ power play would expire without a goal. The Capitals are the quintessential Comeback Kids, and lead the league in wins after trailing through one period (7-7-2). Washington earned another man-advantage after Alexander Wennberg went off for hooking just two and a half minutes into the middle frame, but did not convert. Shortly thereafter, Columbus would receive their second power play with Jakub Vrana having been called for holding. Washington’s penalty killers proved effective once again, holding Columbus to just one goal from the first. Andrew Peeke (CBJ) who left the game in the first after taking a puck to the face returned for the second donning a face shield. Too many giveaways by the Capitals hurt them in the second. A few more strides through the center could have turned giveaways into successful offensive zone entries. Although there were no goals scored in the second, both teams had a handful of prime scoring opportunities. Kevin Stenlund, who had recently been recalled from the AHL, was called for holding-the-stick, but Washington ended up scoreless. The Capitals actually out-shot the Blue Jackets 8-to-2, but were 0/4 on the PP through 40 minutes. Columbus has allowed power play goals in 5 of 6 games on the road, but has only allowed 9 on home ice. Joonas Korpisalo was just a little too good, but Holtby was better, as he made a killer save with just seconds remaining.

End of 2nd

 

Washington

Columbus

Shots

16

14

Faceoffs Won

21

19

Hits

10

10

Power Play

0/4

0/2


At the start of the third period, Alex Ovechkin led the Caps with 15:54 TOI, (9) shots on goal, and (6) high-danger scoring attempts. However, Columbus would strike again before Washington had the chance. Oliver Bjorkstrand finally potted the puck past Holtby, 32 seconds into the final frame. The remaining 20 minutes consisted of start-and-stop play, making it increasingly difficult for Washington to establish any sort of momentum. It seemed as though the Capitals tried to play too methodically, too “planned”. In support of Korpisalo’s shutout bid, Bjorkstrand would score his 9th of the season at the 8:46 mark. Bjorkstrands’ second of the night came off of a neutral zone turnover mixed in with a sloppy line change. Capitals head coach Todd Reirden elected to pull Holtby with just over five minutes remaining, in hopes of scoring at least one. This season, Washington has not been involved in a shutout, win or lose. With just over two minutes remaining in the game, David Savard and Tom Wilson decided to square up, and both would go off five minutes for fighting. Despite a great showing by Braden Holtby, the Capitals would drop their second game against the Blue Jackets. 

End of 3rd

 

Washington

Columbus

Shots

27

21

Faceoffs Won

31

34

Hits

21

13

Power Play

0/5

0/2

 

Line Combinations

Washington Capitals

Ovechkin-Backstrom-Wilson

Vrana-Kuznetsov-Oshie

Hagelin-Eller-Panik

Leipsic-Boyd-Hathaway

Kempny-Carlson

Orlov-Jensen

Siegenthaler-Gudas

Holtby

Columbus Blue Jackets

Nyquist-Jenner-Bjorkstrand

Robinson-Dubois-Texier

Filings-Wennberg-Atkinson

Dano-Nash-Stenlund

Kukan-Jones

Harrington-Savard

Gavrikov-Peeke

Korpisalo

 

TXHT’s Three Takeaways of the Game

1. Capitals’ penalty kill has kept them ‘in the game’ since Hagelins’ return.

2. Alex Ovechkin will never score again.

3. Washington maintains the top spot in the Metropolitan division, despite first shutout loss of the season.

 

Capitals Road Ahead

Washington (24-6-5 53pts) @ New Jersey (10-17-5 25pts)

Tampa Bay (16-12-3 35pts) @ Washington (24-6-5 53pts)

 

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Have A (Cannon)Ball; Washington Capitals vs Columbus Blue Jackets

Washington Capitals (24-5-5) vs Columbus Blue Jackets (12-14-6)

 Predicted GoaltenderRecordGAA / SV% / # SO
Washington CapitalsBraden Holtby15-2-42.78 / .910 / 0
Columbus Blue JacketsJoonas Korpisalo12-10-22.73 / .906 / 1

The Washington Capitals lost to the Columbus Blue Jackets just one week ago at Capital One Arena. This time, the Caps’ are looking to rewrite that narrative, and give John Tortorella’s BJ’s a taste of their own medicine at Nationwide Arena. With this match-up being the second game of the Mentors Trip, we should note that the Capitals are 16-6-0 with mentors in tow, dating back to 2008. Washington was the first to reach the 50-point mark this 2019-20 season, and more impressively, leads the league in road wins with 15 (ESPN).

The Washington Capitals defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning in a convincing 5-2 effort last Saturday night. A great start to the annual Fathers/Mentors Trip, as each of the Capitals’ four lines contributed to goal-scoring. As last reported, the Bolts have struggled to string together consecutive wins, and after having won their previous two matches, it was all but expected that they would drop this one versus the Caps. Once again, the Capitals penalty killing, and astounding goaltending from Ilya Samsonov won this one for Washington. Nicklas Backstrom scored the first goal of the game, giving Washington a 1-0 lead at the 6:42 mark of the first period. The Capitals would receive the games’ first power play at Jan Rutta went off for interference, but just about 30 seconds later, Nicklas Backstrom would be called for tripping, and play would resume as 4-on-4. The Lightning would then receive an abbreviated man-advantage, but would not convert. Rookie goaltender Samsonov made a number of too-close-for-comfort saves, including one that would require a number of reviews from officials. Steven Stamkos was called for a high-stick at the 17:12 mark of the first, but again Washington wouldn’t add to their lead. The second period saw four Lightning power plays, and thankfully, the Caps would kill off three of four. Michal Kempny was called for roughing just 92 seconds into the middle frame, and Nicklas Backstrom for delay of game less four minutes later. Tampa Bay’s first goal of the night was overturned for goaltender interference, but their second attempt, a power play goal, would stand. Brayden Point tallied his 12th goal of the season, tying this one at one goal each. Three minutes and 20 seconds after that penalty, Alex Ovechkin went off for tripping. TJ Oshie was then called for tripping with just over three minutes remaining in the second. The Bolts would not convert on either power play. The final frame saw five goals combined, four from the Caps and one from Tampa. Washington left their penalty kill woes in the second period, and less than two minutes into the third, Lars Eller would give the Caps’ their lead back. Just 45 seconds later, Garnet Hathaway would improve Washington’s lead by two. Jan Rutta would bring the Lightning back within one with his very first goal of the season at the 11:16 mark, and 63 seconds later, TJ Oshie scored his third goal in two games. Tom Wilson would seal this win with an empty net goal, his 12th of the year, at the 19:21 mark of the match. With the empty-net goal, Wilson has 69 career goals. Ilya Samsonov aced this test with flying colors, as he ended the night with 26 saves on 28 shots. Braden Holtby is slated to start for Washington against the Blue Jackets.

The Columbus Blue Jackets were last in action on Saturday as well, where they lost to the Ottawa Senators 4-3 in overtime (CBJ @ OTT). Like Tampa Bay, Columbus has also struggled to win consecutive games, and only the Buffalo Sabres have more overtime/shootout losses than the Blue Jackets. Anthony Duclair, who in fact played a season with Columbus, started off the scoring at the 2:16 mark of the period, with his 16th of the season. Cam Atkinson would tie the game at the 4:53 mark of the first. Duclair would score his 2nd of the game 10 minutes after his first. Connor Brown scored the only goal of the second period, adding to the Senators’ lead. Alexander Texier would score his 5th and 6th goal of season in the third period, tying the game with three goals each, and promising Columbus at least one point. The Blue Jackets received four opportunities with the man-advantage throughout this match, but their 18th ranked power play would not convert. Alexander Wennberg would go off for slashing during the overtime period, and 16 seconds later, Anthony Duclair would complete his first career hat-trick with his 18th goal of the season. The Blue Jackets are 3-5-2 in their last 10, and just 4-5-2 against the Metropolitan division (TheScore, Columbus Blue Jackets). Gustav Nyquist, who leads the team in points (19), has just two in his last eight games, and has not scored since he tallied his second career hat-trick against the Pittsburgh Penguins back on November 29th (HockeyReference). Ironically, his first hat-trick was back in 2014, against the Washington Capitals. Although Columbus out-shot the Senators 41 to 27, head coach John Tortorella would play both goaltenders after electing to put in Joonas Korpisalo in relief of Elvis Merzlikins, who allowed two goals on six shots (CBJ @ OTT). Korpisalo is expected to start for the Blue Jackets.

The Columbus Blue Jackets are missing eight players from their roster, three of which are, however, listed as day-to-day. See below for full details:

  • C- Brandon Dubinsky (DL, wrist)
  • D- Ryan Murray (DTD, upper body)
  • RW- Josh Anderson (DTD, upper body)
  • LW- Sonny Milano (DTD, upper body)
  • RW- Kole Sherwood (DL, oblique)
  • D- Zach Werenski (DL, shoulder)
  • D- Markus Nutivaara (DL, upper body)
  • RW- Emil Bemstrom (OUT, upper body)

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ESPN.com. (2019). 2019-20 NHL Standings. Retrieved from https://www.espn.com/nhl/standings/_/group/league.

HockeyReference. (2019). Gustav Nyquist Stats. Retrieved from https://www.hockey-reference.com/players/n/nyquigu01.html.

TheScore. (2019). Columbus Blue Jackets @ Ottawa Senators. Retrieved from https://www.thescore.com/nhl/events/22227.

TheScore. (2019). Columbus Blue Jackets News & Stats. Retrieved from https://www.thescore.com/nhl/teams/17.

On The Road Again: Washington Capitals vs Tampa Bay Lightning

Washington Capitals (23-5-5) vs Tampa Bay Lightning (16-11-3)

  Predicted Goaltender Record GAA / SV% / # SO
Washington Capitals Ilya Samsonov 7-2-1 2.42 / .917 / 0
Tampa Bay Lightning Andrei Vasilevskiy 12-8-1 2.82 / .910 / 0

After a brief two-game home stand, the Washington Capitals will hit the road and head to Tampa Bay for the first contest of a week long, three-game road trip. Washington defeated the Lightning 4-3 back on November 29th, and the Caps are hoping to repeat that success. Expectations were high for the most recent Presidents’ Trophy winners, but this season, Tampa Bay has struggled to string together consecutive wins.

For the 16th time in 17 meetings, the Washington Capitals defeated the Boston Bruins, as they took down Brad Marchand’s scrappy squad, 3-2. David Pastrnak scored his 26th goal of the season at the 9:36 mark of the first period, giving Boston an early 1-0 lead. It didn’t take long though for the Capitals to regain the momentum they needed to win this game that weirdly enough, featured a very strong playoff feel. Shortly after Pastrnaks’ goal, Zdeno Chara and Tom Wilson squared up, all combined 13 feet of them. Tom Wilson would ultimately receive an additional two minutes for cross-checking, but Washingtons’ penalty kill kept the Bruins from improving their lead. Boston would be given a second consecutive man-advantage as Jakub Vrana went off for tripping but was unsuccessful. The Capitals penalty kill has improved to an impressive 2nd best overall, with the Caps killing off 85.3% of penalties taken (TheScore, Washington Capitals). The Capitals would not convert on the first 34 seconds of their first power play, or the remainder of that man advantage to start the second. Washington was called for ‘too many men on the ice’ early in the second, but again Boston would fail to convert. Chris Wagner went off for interference at the 3:48 mark, and it wouldn’t take long for the Capitals to tie the game. Washington has established themselves as ‘second-half, comeback kids’ and this game was no exception. With his 12th goal of the season, TJ Oshie tied the game at one goal a piece at the 4:35 mark of the second period, on the power play. Less than four minutes later, Oshie would then give the Capitals their first lead of the game with his 2nd goal of the game. Russian center Evgeny Kuznetsov was credited with the primary assist on Oshie’s second goal. Impressively, and mostly due to Backstrom’s previous absence, Kuznetsov is playing at just about a point-per-game, with 31 points in 30 games. Washington would receive another power play at the end of the period, but they would not score. Tom Wilson would go off for interference just 19 seconds into the third, and then John Carlson would go off for tripping just about six minutes later. The Bruins would receive their fifth ultimately unproductive attempt at special teams success at the 10:13 mark of the final frame as Garnet Hathaway and Brett Ritchie were called for roughing. Sean Kuraly would score his 3rd of the season before the period was three minutes old, tying the game. ‘Johnny Norris’ Carlson scored his 12th of the season, the eventual game-winning-goal, less than two minutes after Kuraly’s goal. Carlson leads the Capitals in goals and assists with 45 and 33, respectively. Braden Holtby ended the night with a .928 save percentage, after making 30 saves on 32 shots. Ilya Samsonov is slated to get the the start.

The Tampa Bay Lightning last played on Thursday, as they also took down the Boston Bruins 3-2, handing them their 5th consecutive loss. The game wasn’t even 30 seconds old before Zdeno Chara  (yes, again) and Patrick Maroon squared up and received five minutes each for fighting. Patrice Bergeron got the Bruins on the board first, just four minutes and 26 seconds into the first period. Tampa received their first power play of the game at the 12:44 mark of the first, and although the Bruins killed off that penalty, Boston would find themselves incapable of killing off Tampa’s two additional opportunities with the man-advantage. The Bruins received their first power play opportunity just as the second period was two minutes old, but again, would not convert. Against the Washington Capitals, in the first game of their back-to-back, Boston was unable to convert on any of the five power plays they received (TheScore, BOS @ WSH). Matt Grzelcyk and Kevin Shattenkirk would receive matching penalties at the 4:48 mark of the second period, but neither the Lightning nor the Bruins would score. The Bolts’ 2nd ranked power play converted on back-to-back power play goals from Steven Stamkos and Brayden Point. Stamkos tallied his 12th goal of the season at the 12:35 mark of the second period, as John Moore went off for tripping just six seconds prior. Sean Kuraly (yes, again) went off for hooking at the 2:43 mark of the third period, and Brayden Point would score his 11th goal of the season, and 4th power play goal, giving the Bolts a 2-1 lead. Steven Stamkos was called for hooking as well at the 10:28 mark, and Tampa would kill off that penalty. The Bolts’ penalty kill ranks 18th of 31, as they are killing off 79.4% of penalties taken (TheScore, Tampa Bay Lightning). Ten minutes later, Steven Stamkos would then score his 2nd goal of the game, and 13th of the season, a goal that would be the ultimate game-winner. John Moore would bring the Bruins within one with his very first goal of the season, but Tampa would emerge victorious. Andrei Vasilevskiy made 27 saves on 29 shots, ending his night with a .931 save percentage. At Amalie Arena, the veteran goaltender is 6-4-0, with a GAA of 3.05 (HockeyReference). The Bolts have managed to win two or more consecutive games just three times this season and have maxed out at three wins in a row. Andrei Vasilevskiy is expected to start against the Capitals.

The Tampa Bay Lightning will be without Braydon Coburn (DL, lower body), and Tyler Johnson (OUT, lower body). The Capitals will play just their third game with a full and completely healthy roster.

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.

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References:

HockeyReference. (2019). Andrei Vasilevskiy 2019-20 Splits. Retrieved from https://www.hockey-reference.com/players/v/vasilan02/splits/2020.

TheScore. (2019). Boston Bruins at Washington Capitals. Retrieved from https://www.thescore.com/nhl/events/22210.

TheScore. (2019). Tampa Bay Lightning News & Stats. Retrieved from https://www.thescore.com/nhl/teams/14.

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

A Battle Between the NHL’s Best: Washington Capitals vs Boston Bruins

Washington Capitals (22-5-5) vs Boston Bruins (20-5-6)

 Predicted GoaltenderRecordGAA / SV% / # SO
Washington CapitalsBraden Holtby15-2-42.78 / .910 / 0
Boston BruinsJaroslav Halak7-2-32.22 / .930 / 2

Tonight, the Washington Capitals will take on the Boston Bruins for the second time this season, as they try to re-ignite a winning streak. The last time these two teams played, back on November 16th, Washington defeated the Bruins in a 3-2 shootout win. The Capitals have given up just one loss in their last 16 games versus Boston, dating back to 2014 (mcubed).

The Washington Capitals dropped their last game in a 5-2 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets. Prior to Mondays’ loss, the Capitals had won six consecutive games, and 13 of their last 18. More impressively, the Capitals had earned points in 16 of 19 games since the start of November (NHL.com). Despite Nicklas Backstrom making his return to the lineup, sleepy skating and a powerless power play cost Washington their first game back at Capital One Arena after a historic California road-trip. Just three and a half minutes into the first period, Cam Atkinson scored his 6th goal of the season. The Columbus Blue Jackets would get their first power play at the 4:28 mark as Caps’ goaltender Braden Holtby was called for tripping. Richard Panik then went off for charging at the 9:19 mark. Columbus wouldn’t convert on either power play. Washington received their first man-advantage of the game just about 40 seconds into the Columbus power play, so the two teams would play 4-on-4, and then the Caps would have the man-advantage. Washington would not convert either. The Capitals played a very lethargic first period, were outshot 20 to 6 by Columbus, and did not ‘wake up’ until the middle frame. Although Columbus’ Ryan Murray gave the Blue Jackets a 2-0 lead at the 6:52 mark, Washington outshot their opposition 15 to 6. The Capitals received back to back power plays as Oliver Bjorkstrand was called for interference and then Pierre Luc-Dubois for hooking, but again, they would not convert. Nic Dowd went off for tripping at the 18:31 mark of the second, and therefore, Columbus would start the third period with 29 seconds remaining on the power play. Washington did kill off that power play, and about 10 seconds later, Alex Ovechkin spoiled Joonas Korpisalo’s shutout hopes with his 21st goal of the season. Nic Dowd was called for his second minor penalty of the night as he went off for tripping at the 3:28 mark. The Blue Jackets’ 11th ranked power play did not convert on their fourth power play of the evening. Riley Nash gave Columbus their 2-goal lead back after scoring his 2nd of the season, as the puck bounced off Holtby’s pads into the back of the net. Four minutes later, Oliver Bjorkstrand improved his squads’ lead to three goals with his 7th of the season. The Capitals would pull Holtby with five minutes remaining, but Tom Wilson would be called for goaltender interference. Washington would kill off the penalty and then elected to pull Holtby once again with about two minutes left. Nicklas Backstrom would score in his first game back, pulling Washington back within two. Unfortunately, the effort would be all for naught as Cam Atkinson scored his second of the game with an empty net goal. Braden Holtby would end the night with a .892 save percentage, as he allowed four goals on 37 shots. Holtby is expected to start against the Bruins.

The Boston Bruins also dropped their last game on Monday, as they lost to the Ottawa Senators, 5-2. Artem Anisimov potted his 4th of the season just 1:35 into the first period. Anthony Duclair gave Ottawa a 2-0 lead with his 14th of the season with just under five minutes remaining in the first. Patrice Bergeron cut the Senators’ lead in half two minutes later with his 9th on the year. No penalties were called in the first period, but there were four power plays in the second. Charlie Coyle was called for tripping early in the second, but Bostons’ 6th ranked penalty kill kept Ottawa off the board.  The Bruins then received three consecutive power plays as Vladislav Namestnikov was called for tripping, then Dylan DeMelo for high-sticking, and DeMelo again for tripping. However, the Bruins’ 3rd ranked power play would not convert on either opportunity. Chris Tierney would improve Ottawa’s lead to a mark of 3-1 as he scored his 4th goal of the season at the 1:21 mark of the second. It was not until the 9:35 mark of the third period that anything notable occurred. Brandon Carlo was called for kneeing, and Ottawa would receive just their second power play of the game. That power play would be cut short as Thomas Chabot was called for high-sticking, and therefore, play would resume as 4-on-4. David Pastrnak went off for two minutes for tripping at the 14:46 mark, and Ottawa again wouldn’t convert. Things got really interesting once Colin White for Ottawa was called for tripping, and Boston would receive their 5th and final power play. Without a single goal since early in the second, three goals were scored in the last three minutes of this match. The Bruins would elect to pull their goalie on the power play, but Jean-Gabriel Pageau would score an empty-net, short-handed goal, his 16th of the year. Just 43 seconds later, Jake DeBrusk would score a Bruins’ power play goal, bringing Boston within two. In the last second of the game, Anthony Duclair would pot his 2nd of the game, an empty netter, sealing the 5-2 win for the Senators. Tuuka Rask allowed three goals on 26 shots, ending his night with a .885 save percentage (TheScore, BOS @ OTT). As is expected, Jaroslav Halak will start for the Bruins.

The Boston Bruins are in much better shape injury-wise than they were the last time they played Washingon. The Bruins will be without Kevan Miller (IR-NR, kneecap), Anton Blindh (IR-NR, shoulder), Zach Senyshyn (DL, lower body), and Karson Kuhlman (DL, leg).

 

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References:

Mcubed. (2019). NHL: Series records: Washington Capitals against Boston Bruins. Retrieved from http://mcubed.net/nhl/wsh/bos.shtml.

NHL.com. (2019). 2019-2020 Regular Season- Washington Capitals- Statistics. Retrieved from http://capitals.ice.nhl.com/club/gamelog.htm.

TheScore. (2019). Boston Bruins News & Stats. Retrieved from https://www.thescore.com/nhl/teams/1.

TheScore. (2019). Boston Bruins @ Ottawa Senators. Retrieved from https://www.thescore.com/nhl/events/22196.