Photo: Amanda Bowen
The rumors are true: Thursday night, the Caps finally won a game. YAY. Ovi sealed the deal in a triumphant 3-2 victory over the Isles, who really dislike Tom Wilson.
Incidentally, Saturday’s contest is against another Metro rival. The Caps, who are currently the NHL’s best team, are taking on the Devils, who are currently the NHL’s thirteenth-best team. Few things are more demoralizing than losing to the Maple Leafs in a shootout, but such was the Devils’ fate Tuesday night.
The teams last faced one another during the Caps’ home opener, which the Caps won 5-3. A lot has happened since then. The Caps have risen to become Stanley Cup contenders, while the Devils are as meh as the second season of True Detective.
The game’s a matinee, so tune into CSN at 1 PM.
| Team | Record | Possession | PDO | Power Play | Penalty Kill |
| Washington Capitals | 36-9-4 | 51.8% | 102.0 | 25.0% | 84.0% |
| New Jersey Devils | 26-20-6 | 46.5% | 100.9 | 19.4% | 81.8% |
Projected Lineup
No morning skate due to the 1 PM start and there was a little roster shuffling on Friday. Zach Sill and Aaron Ness are back in Hershey and Paul Carey and Connor Carrick have been recalled. We blindly threw darts to put together these potential lines:
Ovechkin – Backstrom – Oshie
Burakovsky – Kuznetsov – Williams
Chimera – Richards – Wilson
Laich – Latta – Carey
Alzner – Niskanen
Schmidt – Carlson
Orlov – Chorney
Holtby
Meet Margaret
Hi fam, Pat here. This is Margaret’s first post for RMNB. She used to write with me on Brooks Laichyear and is now going to be chipping in here. Give her a warm welcome and follow her on Twitter. Back to Margaret, who we’re making list three random, fun facts about herself:
- I love cats like some people love chocolate, coffee, and their children.
- I was born in New Jersey, grew up in Maryland, and moved to New York last fall.
- My Starbucks orders are lengthier and more complex than a medical textbook.
Storylines
- Brooks Orpik and Marcus Johansson continue to progress.
- John Carlson talks fatherhood, makes us feel old.
- A friendly reminder that Ovi is pretty darn amazing.
- The Caps top line was able to expose some poor defense by the Isles.
- Some photos from military night and the ceremonial puck drop that gave us a lot of feels.
- Speaking of photos, Wilson finally released his dolphin photo.
- And speaking of Wilson, he’s basic and still in the Isles head.
Get Your Groove On
Ordinarily, a game against the Devils would mean turning to Bruce Springsteen and Bon Jovi for tunes. Alas, the world has said goodbye to Maurice White. You might know him as the founder of the supremely talented Earth, Wind & Fire.
RIP, Maurice. It’s never too late to discover (or revisit) one of the greatest bands of the 20th century.
Share On