Following a rare shutout loss, the Caps head north to right the ship against the New Jersey Devils. The Devs (can we make that a thing?) are dead last in the Metropolitan Division and most recently fell to the Kings, 3-1.
Meanwhile, there are no streaks the Caps can boast of, so consider this both a jinx-free pregame and a clean slate for the team. With TJ Oshie out and Top-Line Beagle in, anything goes.
Puck drop at 7 PM on CSN-MA.
| Team | Record | SA% | PDO | Power Play | Penalty Kill |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington Capitals | 32-10-6 | 54.6% | 102.5 | 19.9% | 85.5% |
| New Jersey Devils | 20-20-9 | 48.6% | 99.7 | 13.9% | 82.1% |
Projected Lines
The latest, from Isabelle:
Ovechkin – Backstrom – Beagle
Johansson – Kuznetsov – Williams
Connolly – Eller – Burakovsky
Winnik – Stephenson – Wilson
Alzner – Niskanen
Orpik – Orlov
Chorney – Schmidt
Holtby
Plus, the power play units have a new look:
With Oshie out, Justin Williams on PP1. Connolly on PP2.
— Isabelle Khurshudyan (@ikhurshudyan) January 26, 2017
If the Caps win, the beard stays.
Our plea to Daniel Winnik worked… for one game. Tonight, the Caps must win for Winnik’s lumberjack beard to stay.
Good news guys, we get the beard for at least one more game. The fate of his facial hair lies with how the next game goes #stipulations💃🏽
— Taylor Winnik (@taytayruness) January 25, 2017
Storylines
- TJ Oshie will miss tonight’s game due to a family matter.
- The NHL has released movie posters featuring your faves Ovi and Holtbeast for the upcoming All-Star Game.
- Speaking of the NHL, take a gander as to which major professional sports league will NOT be funding concussion research.
- Snoop Dogg is performing at the NHL All-Star Skills Competition(!!!)
- Could Fifth Harmony be the key to growing the game?
- Ever tried parahawking? RMNB reader Brian sure has–and looked pretty good doing it, too.
- Throwback Thursday: The Devils will be sporting some Retro Night jerseys.
- They’ve also got a sweet NHL 94-inspired poster for tonight’s game.
- They also claimed former Ducks forward Stefan Noesen off waivers.
I got my mind on my Corsi, and my Corsi on my mind
Because you finally have a reason to watch (some) of the All-Star festivities:
