The Washington Capitals had a slow start against a plucky team of Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday night. That better not happen again, as the Caps only have home-ice advantage for Saturday’s game, then it’s off to Ontario. Wouldn’t it be nice if the Caps had a two-game lead when they get there?
Puck drop at 7 PM at Verizon Center. Game’s on CSN. I’ve got recap duty.
Caps lead the series 1-0.
| 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) |
Silver Alert
SILVER ALERT issued for 84 year old Olga Price last seen in the 1900 block of N Randolph Street. May be driving beige Toyota Camry. pic.twitter.com/iXADwHLctm
— ArlingtonCountyPD (@ArlingtonVaPD) April 15, 2017
From the police:
**PLEASE SHARE**
SILVER ALERT ISSUED: A silver alert has been issued for missing 84 year old Olga Price last seen yesterday at St. Agnes Church in the 1900 block of N Randolph Street. She is described as a white female, 5’4″, approximately 180lbs and is known to wear a red Washington Capitals hat and a necklace with a miniature FBI badge charm. She may be driving her beige Toyota Camry which has a Washington Capitals sticker on the rear windshield. If you have information on her whereabouts, please call the emergency communication center at 703-558-2222.
Projected Lines
No changes, though we did have a little scare.
Ovechkin – Backstrom – Oshie
Johansson – Kuznetsov – Williams
Connolly – Eller – Burakovsky
Winnik – Beagle – Wilson
Alzner – Carlson
Orlov – Niskanen
Orpik – Shattenkirk
Holtby
For their part, here’s what the Leafs look like:
Komarov – Kadri – Brown
JVR – Bozak – Marner
Hyman – Matthews – Nylander
Martin – Boyle – Kapanen
Gardiner – Polak
Hunwick – Rielly
Marincin – Carrick
Andersen
Sizing Up the Leafs
In case you wanna revisit all the smart analysis from our team this week (plus my stuff too) here it is:
- Even strength is very strong
- Very special special teams on both sides
- Two hot goaltenders being hot together
- Auston Matthews is a scoring chance machine
- Getting to know the Leafs roster
- The Caps’ not-so-hidden weaknesses
Storylines
- Nikita Zaitsev is still out, but he skated this morning. Nate Schmidt and Taylor Chorney are scratches for Washington.
- The Leafs are not, and should not, be dispirited by Game One.
- Braden Holtby gave up two early, but he was the unsung hero of Thursday night.
- The sung hero was, of course, Tom Wilson. He was well aware of the mild shade thrown upon him by Leafs coach Mike Babcock.
- Auston Matthews has a bold idea for Game Two:
Auston Matthews says he thinks the Leafs should shoot more. Babcock says they can skate better. Big plans for Game 2.
— James Mirtle (@mirtle) April 15, 2017
- Starting to think Justin Williams‘ playoff reputation is justified. Isabelle Khurshudyan of the Washington Post has a fantastic item on Williams and his next contract.
- The Bears are going to the dance.
- Will there be more beer-pounding bros behind Alan May tonight? You know it.
- The Columbus Dispatch had a bad idea. Everyone heard about it, then they cancelled it.
Where Were You During the Great Schmidtuation Panic of 2017?
Schmidt is in with Carlson during rushes. Looks like Alzner is out.
— Isabelle Khurshudyan (@ikhurshudyan) April 15, 2017
Stand down. Looks like Alzner just missed first rotation through. https://t.co/rjwHUOs3MA
— Isabelle Khurshudyan (@ikhurshudyan) April 15, 2017
Alzner just had skate issues. But the 60 seconds between those two tweets were nuts in my world.
Meanwhile, Nate’s still Nate.
.@russianmachine @nateschmidt29 says he loves this poster!!!! @kat326 pic.twitter.com/C3o7DBoCm9
— Sheena (@CAPLDY) April 15, 2017
Okay, I’m gonna make some chili. See you guys tonight!
Full Coverage of Caps vs Maple Leafs
Headline photo: Jesse Milns
