Game One of the Washington Capitals and Toronto Maple Leafs first round series begins tonight and everyone is fine, nobody is freaking out, please don’t cry.
The Leafs will be missing defenseman Nikita Zaitsev for Game One and I will be missing my sanity. Luckily, the Capitals will be going into this evening fairly healthy (*knock on wood*) with the only exception being John Carlson coming off a lower-body injury, but he is expected to play tonight.
Puck drop will be shortly after 7:00 PM on USA. Will over skill, everyone.
Your final regular season stats:
| Team | Record | SA% | PDO | Power Play | Penalty Kill |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington Capitals | 55-19-8 | 53.2% | 103.0 | 23.1% (4th) | 83.8% (7th) |
| Toronto Maple Leafs | 40-27-15 | 50.9% | 98.6 | 23.8% (2nd) | 82.5% (10th) |
Projected Lines
There was a lightly attended optional skate today since the boys have been practicin’ pretty hard. Here’s what you should probably expect:
Ovechkin – Backstrom – Oshie
Johansson – Kuznetsov – Williams
Connolly – Eller – Burakovsky
Winnik – Beagle – Wilson
Alzner – Carlson
Orlov – Niskanen
Orpik – Shattenkirk
Holtby
Today in History
Look at this boy. We love him so much. Never leave us.
THIS DATE IN 2006: Alex Ovechkin (@Capitals) became 2nd rookie in NHL history to record 50 goals & 100 pts. https://t.co/FXUadsoxra #NHL100 pic.twitter.com/Epe1E2x6ZZ
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) April 13, 2017
Laughlin Family Feud
Grandma Locker and her sister are going to be rooting for opposing teams tonight!
https://twitter.com/JosieJosephinel/status/851538117475565570
I love you both very much, but there's only one right choice. Would a red jersey help? #CapsLeafs https://t.co/JkDZhHIlOC
— Craig Laughlin (@Laughlin18) April 10, 2017
Storylines
- “Give me a hype video or give me death” -Patrick Henry. Well, he is in luck because we have one.
- We have four brand spankin’ new tee shirts for you to purchase. Get yours now for the playoffs!
- How do the Washington Capitals compare to the Toronto Maple Leafs in terms of goaltending? Psh.
- “Elyse, I don’t care about how the Washington Capitals goaltending compares to the Map-” You should…but you can also learn about the special teams instead!
- I’m now addicted to seeing the Red Hot Chili Peppers sport an Alex Ovechkin jersey.
- Keith, a coin, is back and ruining our lives. Read about his picks and how they compare to Ian’s and Peter’s.
- Goodnight, sweet Brooks Laich. He had elbow surgery and is probably done…like forever.
- Maple Leafs Hot Stove is a grand spot to learn all about the Leafs. Take a peek at their intro to the Toronto Maple Leafs they wrote just for you!
- Matt Lauer threatened to throw a Washington Capitals fan off the TODAY show set, which is ridiculous, because Matt Lauer could use all the support he can get because I hate him.
- Before choosing Gerard Gallant, GMGM reached out to see if Dale Hunter would come back to the NHL to coach for the Vegas Golden Knights. You heard that correctly. This is not a joke.
- Tee Shirt guy gave his tee shirts away. Way to go, Tee Shirt guy.
- We are all the graffiti at Kettler, asking the team to please make it past the second round.
- Before the game tonight, make sure you take a listen to the RMNB podcast featuring Steve Dangle talkin’ all about this series!
- Shhh don’t tell Toronto, but good tweet Pete listed the Capitals’ hidden playoff risks.
- The Capitals’ new playoff shirts are definitely something everyone should take a look at and tell me what you think because I do not know.
- A Nats player brought his son to the Capitals practice and he is as cute as a bug in a rug.
About Last Night
Obviously, the official beginning to the Stanley Cup Playoffs happened last night and it’s okay if you didn’t watch (spoiler alert: the good guys didn’t play). But, here are a couple things you did miss:
The Oilers absolutely NAILED the Canadian anthem (even the players are impressed).
Oilers fans waited a long time for #StanleyCup Playoff hockey, and they did not disappoint with a rendition of O Canada from the stands. pic.twitter.com/UqJkCKh97g
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) April 13, 2017
Wayne Gretzky had an excellent “yikes” face that is now set as the home screen on my cellular device.
Someone got stabbed in Pittsburgh but didn’t want to go to the hospital until after the game. Yep, that sounds like Pittsburgh.
I tweeted this last night. This is just amazing dedication to the Pens.
Look at the last line.
Unreal. pic.twitter.com/y6YdyFr1CO— Colin Dunlap (@colin_dunlap) April 13, 2017
The Sharks scored in overtime and an Oilers fan was not too pleased, but it gave the Sharks social media team a fantastic photoshop.
Melker Karlsson celebrates his Game 1 OT winner. Oilers fans don't seem happy. pic.twitter.com/TSSDrfde8H
— Brady Trettenero (@BradyTrett) April 13, 2017
Headline image: NBCSports
