The Capitals have traveled down south to face off against the Carolina Hurricanes. Tom Wilson is back in, Christian Djoos is out after some surgery, and I would definitely like to see another hat trick from Alex Ovechkin. Seriously, the man is on fire with a point streak now at 12 games and 25 goals already under his belt. If he keeps up this hot streak, I think we’ll need to call the fire department. (Bad joke, I wish I was even a little sorry.)

Puck drop is at 7:30PM and you can watch on NBCSWA on television or streamin’ on your smart device! Chris from the Comments will meet you back here with a recap to close out the night.

Record	13-13-4	18-9-3
Shot Attempt %	56.2%	48.9%
PDO	96.7	103.1
Power Play	15.8%	26.9%
Penalty Kill	81.3%	77.8%

Projected Lines

Important things to note: Andre Burakovsky and Chandler Stephenson are out. Christian Djoos had surgery yesterday and is out indefinitely. Tom Wilson is back in the lineup. Miss Isabelle Khurshudyan at the Washington Post continues to be the MVP of lineup news:

Ovechkin – Backstrom – Oshie
Vrana – Kuznetsov – Wilson
Connolly – Eller – DSP
Jaskin – Dowd – Boyd

Kempny – Carlson
Orlov – Niskanen
Siegenthaler – Bowey

Holtby

Auston Matthews

Hey Auston….maybe just think about joining the Caps? But, like, it would kind of have to be for free? Or I can offer you the 23 cents and one yellow starburst I have in my pocket.

Hey @AM34 like what u see? pic.twitter.com/G6R4fbi2uW

— Pete Blackburn (@PeteBlackburn) December 14, 2018

Storylines

• The Dave Matthews Band posed with the Stanley Cup and some members even received Capitals jerseys. I guess you could say there wasn’t much SPACE BETWEEN the band and the cup. (Yikes…I even tried on that one. I’m sorry.)
• It’s already been mentioned, but Christian Djoos is out and for an indefinite amount of time due to some surgery. So, you’re probably thinking “aw man, what does this mean for the team?!” Funny you should ask, because our very own Patrick Holden wrote about how this will test the Caps’ defensive depth.
• Guess who’s back, back again? Tom Wilson‘s back, tell a friend!
• Referee Tim Peel? More like Tim Peen because he scored a goal the other night off his….um….well, you know.
• Mike Milbury said he thinks Alex Ovechkin is–wait. Let me check my notes. Maybe I need glasses? No? Hm. Milbury thinks Ovi ‘the best goal scorer that ever laced on a pair of skates’. Yes, that was said by Mike MILBURY.
• TJ Oshie signed a stick and sent it to one of his biggest fans, Maddie Kegley. She raises a bunch of money for anti-bullying charities and she is also a personal hero of mine.
• People keep asking Tom Wilson about Ryan Reaves. Honestly, I’m very tired of hearing about this, but Wilson was kinda cool about it and brushed it off. I would’ve been very petty or maybe thrown some shade or something, but nope. Not Tom.
• Feel like crying over a video montage that includes the Washington Capitals? You’re in luck because Google just released one!
• Peanut Butter goes with Jelly, Hot Wings go with Blue Cheese, Eggs go with Bacon, and Evgeny Kuznetsov just might go very well with TJ Oshie.
• Jay Beagle scored! Now, how do we get the Canucks to start posting Beagle puppy photos when these moments occur…

Holiday Movies

I feel like I get myself into this fight every single year, but I want to know what your favorite holiday movies are. Personally, I celebrate Christmas so these are gonna be Christmas-themed. But I want to hear any holiday-esque suggestion…except for Die Hard. I don’t care about Die Hard and I don’t know why Die Hard fans are so RUDE about Die Hard!!!!

Here’s my top five(ish):

1. Elf. You know how during WWII, when the only way that people could check to hear if their loved ones fighting were still alive, they had to keep the radio broadcasts on 24/7? That’s my sister and this movie the MOMENT Thanksgiving is over. I also find Will Ferrell funny.
2. The Holiday, or as I like to call it, “that movie we all should be obsessed with this time of year instead of Love, Actually”. Maybe I just like Jude Law, honestly who’s to say.
3. The Santa Clause franchise. I specifically love the Santa Clause 2, but I’ll take any of them.
4. The Shop Around the Corner. You’ve Got Mail is one of my favorite movies. So. I don’t have another option but to list this.
5. There is a tie between A Charlie Brown Christmas and Christmas Vacation. Both timeless.

Full RMNB Coverage of Caps at Hurricanes

Headline photo: Rob Carr/Getty Images North America