The Caps just weren’t ready for their last two games against the some of the league’s dregs. They eked out a win in the rarefied air of Colorado but seemed totally inert in Arizona’s desert. That effort just won’t do on Sunday evening as Washington face off against Columbus as they chase the Caps for first seed in the east.
This is a big one. You can watch with us at 6 PM on CSN.
| Team | Record | SA% | PDO | Power Play | Penalty Kill |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington Capitals | 51-18-8 | 53.3% | 102.9 | 23.6% (3rd) | 84.0% (7th) |
| Columbus Blue Jackets | 49-20-8 | 51.0% | 101.9 | 20.1% (10th) | 82.7% (9th) |
Projected Lines
No idea. Let’s pretend no changes.
Ovechkin – Backstrom – Oshie
Johansson – Kuznetsov – Williams
Connolly – Eller – Burakovsky
Winnik – Beagle – Wilson
Alzner – Carlson
Orlov – Niskanen
Orpik – Shattenkirk
Holtby
The Weyland Yutani Out-of-Town Scoreboard
(Our out-of-town scoreboard is sponsored exclusively by evil corporations.)
There are basically four teams competing for the final playoff spots: Toronto, Ottawa, Boston, and Tampa. Here are the standings as of right now.
The Caps have 4 and 5 points on Columbus and Pittsburgh, but it won’t be an easy final week — starting with tonight’s game.
Down near the Wild Card spots, anything can happen. Toronto and Ottawa are basically tied for second in the Atlantic (Toronto has the tiebreaker), but they’re only one point ahead of Boston with a game in hand.
The Isles are in trouble, and Tavares is out, but stranger things have happened. Tampa, who would be a sleeper if they make it into the ‘loffs, have a game in hand on Boston.
If the ‘loffs started right now, we’d be like wtf, and then the Caps would host Boston in the first round. I don’t love that matchup.
Here’s matchups for the final week of the #rego season:
Remaining schedule. pic.twitter.com/avyyMvrMuA
— Micah Blake McCurdy (@IneffectiveMath) April 2, 2017
Update: Ch-ch-changes.
With Boston's win over Chicago, the Caps would now play the Senators if the playoffs started today pic.twitter.com/YKxeL7v7zs
— RMNB (@russianmachine) April 2, 2017
Storylines
- Columbus goalie Sergei Bobrovksy was the NHL’s second star last month.
- The Arizona game was a mess. Beyond standings points, it almost cost Washington three players, but each escaped injury, though I bet Tom Wilson‘s knee looks gnarly as hell right now.
- Philadelphia goalie Michal Neuvirth collapsed on the ice last night. Apparently he was super ill and the team played him anyway because the call-up backup arrived only 15 minutes before puck drop.
- Daniel Winnik is the best thing happening on the Caps’ fourth line, and the Caps’ bottom six is their secret weapon.
- Tyson Jost’s granddad is wonderful.
- Nate Schmidt is rocking the hawk.
- Good, good dogs.
- Pat Holden published the final snapshot of the season this morning, and I urge you to read it. What Washington has done this year has been astonishing. I fully expected the Caps to wane at the end of this so-called Cup window, but with excellent roster moves, sturdy coaching, a ton of luck on the injury front, and a few breakout seasons, they’ve remained the league’s best team. Bravo.
Emperor of Sand
Mastodon’s new album is available now, and it is fantastic. I think it’s their best work since Crack the Skye, which is maybe my favorite album of the last decade. The riffs are heavier, the psychedelia/prog motifs are louder, and the melodies are gorgeous. I recommend it even if you’re not a fan of heavy stuff.
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