Tonight the Washington Capitals will play the Buffalo Sabres for the first time this season. Last time we saw the Sabres they were toilet tier, tanking for the number-one pick in the draft, which they won. Now with Rasmus Dahlin in addition to Jack Eichel and Jeff Skinner (picked up from the Canes), the Sabres all of a sudden look daunting. Their record is virtually equal to the Caps, and they recently recorded a ten-game win streak. Even for a unrested Caps team, this could be a fun game, if only because Ovechkin will be on ice.
Puck drop in DC is at 7:00 PM and you can watch on NBCSWA on television or from your preferred gadget. The divine Elyse will have your recap.
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 |
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|---|---|---|
| Record | 19-9-4 | 19-9-3 |
| Shot Attempt % | 48.6% | 49.1% |
| PDO | 100.9 | 103.4 |
| Power Play | 18.4% | 27.4% |
| Penalty Kill | 81.9% | 76.3% |
Projected Lines
The Caps played last night, and morning skate was optional today. I imagine lines will be very similar to Friday night’s, so instead here’s a video of a baby polar bear at the Berlin Zoo.
Just Some Ovi Numbers
- 28 goals this season, most in the league
- 635 goals in his career, most since he entered the league
- 761 era-adjusted goals prior to this season, third most in NHL history
- 5,017 shots on goal in his career, most since he entered the league
- 12.4 percent career shooting prior to this season, 69th best
- 1,003 games played before this season, or 97 percent of games available, sixth most since he entered the league
- 1 Cup
Storylines
- Ovi. Ovi. Ovi. He’s on pace for 70. He’s not gonna hit 70, but this is fun.
- Ovi also gave Jonas Siegenthaler for his first career NHL point and personally retrieved the puck.
- Alex Alexeyev got hurt in a bad hit last night.
- With Christian Djoos out, the Caps lower-tier D are gonna have to fend for themselves.
- To that point, the Caps have recalled Tyler Lewington from the Hershey Bears.
- Tom Wilson returned to action after his concussion. He scored, natch.
- God I love Evgeny Kuznetsov so much. He’s the funniest.
- The Sabres announced this morning that they have suspended indefinitely Patrik Berglund for failing to report. Fascinating…
The Buffalo Sabres today announced that forward Patrik Berglund has been suspended indefinitely by the organization due to failure to report to the team. There will be no further information or comment at this time.
— Sabres PR (@SabresPR) December 15, 2018
Peter’s Favorite Podcast of 2018
I had to change my podcast diet this year. Out were some current events/politics podcasts, which kinda feel tedious to me now. But staying in my feed has been Episode One. E1 is comedy podcast in which the creators imagine themselves as podcast archivists, collecting disparate failed, one-episode podcasts that would otherwise be lost to time. Each episode is different but they all tend to discuss important cultural touchstones like orcs, deagles, Joe Rogan, pig bellies, Soundcloud rappers, war crimes, and whether or not a bag of chips can constitute dinner. It is the single dumbest thing I have ever listened to, and I never miss an episode. (NSFW)
Full RMNB Coverage of Caps vs Sabres
Headline photo: Gregg Forwerck
