Andre Burakovsky is back and the Capitals are in sunny Tampa on a very quick, one-game road trip before returning to DC for a three-game homestand. Barry Trotz has called this one a “must win” game, and the Caps can clinch a playoff spot with a victory, so lets hope the good guys can come away with all the points.
On another note, the Tampa Bay Lightning could very well be the Capitals first round playoff opponent if the Caps can hang onto their division lead and if Tampa can sneak into that last wild card spot over the Maple Leafs and Islanders. Could we have a playoff preview on our hands tonight?
Puck drop is at 7 PM on CSN.
| Team | Record | SA% | PDO | Power Play | Penalty Kill |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington Capitals | 45-17-8 | 52.7% | 103.6 | 21.1% (8th) | 84.1% (7th) |
| Tampa Bay Lightning | 34-27-9 | 51.1% | 99.5 | 22.0% (6th) | 80.7% (16th) |
Projected Lines
Back to business for Dre.
Ovechkin – Backstrom – Oshie
Johansson – Kuznetsov – Williams
Connolly – Eller – Burakovsky
Winnik – Beagle – Wilson
Alzner – Carlson
Orlov – Niskanen
Orpik – Shattenkirk
Holtby
RMNB Snapchat
RMNB’s own Cara Bahniuk will be at tonight’s game in Tampa so follow along with her adventures @rmnb_blog on Snapchat.
Storylines
- Only a mysterious t-shirt gun malfunction could save Joe Beninati from Craig Laughlin during Thursday’s Predators game.
- Zach Sanford scored his first goal for the St. Louis Blues since being traded in the deal that brought Kevin Shattenkirk to Washington. Congrats, Zach.
- Andre Burakovsky is back in the lineup and unfortunately for Jakub Vrana that meant he was sent on a trip back to Hershey.
- Amanda Bowen took some awesome photos of the Caps in their pregame, green St. Patrick’s Day sweaters before Thursday’s match up with Nashville.
- “Play Nate Schmidt, every night, now and forever” – Peter Hassett. Fully endorsed by anyone who is human because humans like Nate Schmidt.
- Great news for the Hershey Bears on the defensive front. Prospects Madison Bowey (returning from injury) and Jonas Siegenthaler (returning from Switzerland) are due back in the lineup next week.
- Chris Baker is still going to Capitals games despite not being re-signed by the Redskins.
- John Carlson‘s son hates the Penguins just as much as you and I.
Question for the Comments
Who is winning March Madness this year and why is it Gonzaga?
