After their mighty beatdown of the Penguins, the Caps continue their homestand against the Detroit Red Wings. It’s unlikely that we’ll see a repeat of Wednesday night’s 7-1 demolition, but the Caps aren’t exactly facing tough competition in Detroit.
Mike Green and Co. are next-to-last in their division and have dismal possession numbers (the Caps are tied for the best score-adjusted possession team.) The Red Wings have also lost center Darren Helm to a shoulder injury. Suffice to say, things could be better in Motown. Tonight, the Caps have the opportunity to bag (what should be) two easy points and have some fun while doing so.
Puck drop at 7 PM on CSN-DC.
| Team | Record | Possession | PDO | Power Play | Penalty Kill |
| Detroit Red Wings | 8-8-1 | 45.68% | 101.4 | 17.5% | 76.9% |
| Washington Capitals | 10-4-2 | 53.85% | 102.6 | 14.3% | 83.3% |
Projected Lines
Nothing has changed–why would it?
Ovechkin – Kuznetsov – Burakovsky
Johansson – Backstrom – Oshie
Sanford – Beagle – Wilson
Connolly – Eller – Williams
Alzner – Niskanen
Orlov – Carlson
Orpik – Schmidt
Holtby
Storylines
- There’s a brand-new, earth-shatteringly awesome RMNB podcast.
- Nicklas Backstrom had a five-point game against the Pens. That would be his fifth since the 2007-08 season.
- One more time, for the people in the back: let’s clear up the misconceptions surrounding Corsi.
- Barry Trotz wants Evgeny Kuznetsov to play like his idol, Pavel Datsyuk.
- It’s Nicklas Backstrom vs. Sidney Crosby, and guess who is winning?
- Stella Alzner, daughter of Karl, is ridiculously adorable.
- Alex Ovechkin and goal droughts don’t go hand-in-hand.
- As always, Mike Green is busy tallying power-play points.
- The best time to wear an RMNB sweater is all the time. Go forth and get your fabulously ugly holiday sweater now.
Wednesday night in context
Wednesday night’s rout was tied for the Penguins’ worst road loss since 2003. In 2003, the U.S. was planning to invade Iraq, French fries became Freedom fries, and Evanescence released their album Fallen. And the Penguins had an impressively bad showing against the Lightning.
Asia League Ice Hockey
The possibility remains that we’ll see NHL players in the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics. But what is hockey culture like in South Korea and the rest of Asia? When most (North) Americans think of professional hockey beyond the NHL and its affiliates, the KHL–and maybe the SHL come to mind.
Introducing Asia League Ice Hockey, which was established in 2003 and boasts teams from Japan, China, South Korea, and Russia. The league has been instrumental in growing the game in East Asia. Check out some snippets from a game between the Anyang Halla and Tochigi Nikko IceBucks.
