Photo: Amanda Bowen

The Caps return home to face the Blues. Tonight’s game is the second half of a back-to-back for both teams. Last night, the Caps (and John Carlson!) trumped the Devils in OT, while the Blues clinched a playoff spot via their 4-0 drubbing of the Canucks.

Hopefully you’re well rested because last night’s game was a real snoozer. Tonight should be a different story, as the Blues look to be a force in the playoffs. They boast a strong defense and elite special teams. Plus, it’s TJ Oshie vs Troy Brouwer, assuming the former is healthy.

Puck drop at 7 PM on CSN-DC.

First: Wishing a very happy birthday to RMNB MVP Rachel Cohen!

Projected Lineup

The Caps aren’t skating today, but if Oshie is in, the lines could look like this. (I’m guessing.)

Ovechkin – Backstrom – Williams
Burakovsky – Kuznetsov – Oshie
Chimera – Johansson – Wilson
Winnik – Richards – Beagle

Orpik – Orlov
Alzner – Niskanen
Schmidt – Carlson

Grubauer

But maybe Holtby will play and Oshie’s still stick and Schmidt sits. Who knows.

Best Thing on the Internet Today

Peter’s friend Mo (who you might remember from hating Dustin Penner’s DJ career) is a master of Snapchat face swap.

Storylines

• John Carlson (and his one-timer) are back!

#Caps John Carlson nets GWG in 1-0 OT win vs #NJDevils… exactly 6 years after his first career NHL goal (Jason Chimera assisted on both)

— Ben Raby (@BenRaby31) March 26, 2016

• TJ Oshie’s status for tonight is unknown. He’s recently been sick with the ol’ north and south.
• Holtby seemed… bored last night.
• For the Caps, what lies beyond the President’s Trophy? Ryan Lambert answers, but you might not wanna hear it.
• How much of the Caps’ recent struggles can be chalked up to complacency? 
• What lies behind the Blues’ defensive pairings?
• Former Cap Mike Marson is also the NHL’s second-ever black player, and he’s being honored tonight.
• Here’s another look into the playoff picture.
• Jakub Vrana scored in the Bears’ 2-1 win last night.
• Behind the scenes of an RMNB classic that is making the rounds on tumblr lately.

March Madness

Another win. Another chance to sing the Good Old Song. We are ELITE. #Elite8 #MarchMadness #GoHoos #wahoowa pic.twitter.com/JSJ45alHsA

— Virginia Sports Properties (@UVAVSP) March 26, 2016

As you know, the Caps won last night. But so did Virginia, who played a phenomenal game and beat Iowa State 84-71. THE HOOS ARE ELITE. The same can’t be said of Duke, who was knocked out by Oregon Thursday night.

Pat seems to think that UVA and Duke are equally loathsome–buy or sell? (Bear in mind Alex Ovechkin picked the Hoos to win it all back in 2014.) Also, who are you expecting/hoping to see in the Final Four?

Full RMNB Coverage of Caps vs Blues