Something very exciting has made its way from the Big Apple to the Washington, DC area. No, it’s not me visiting my parents for a weekend or another spectacular burger chain (lookin’ at you Shake Shack). It’s the New York Islanders! Obviously, the big story this evening is that Barry Trotz is back in Capital One Arena, but this time he is on the opposing bench. Be prepared to cry during a tribute video. Lord knows I will.
Dial your television to NBCSWA for a 7:30PM puck drop. Need to take the Caps on the go? No problem-o, everyone probably has super cool Friday plans. You can stream the game on your devices via the My Teams app. Chris from the sweet, sweet comments will provide you with, what is bound to be, the recap of your dreams.
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|---|---|---|
| Record | 27-15-4 | 27-14-5 |
| Shot Attempt % | 48.6% | 48.9% |
| PDO | 102.6 | 102.5 |
| Power Play | 16.8% (24th) | 21.6% (11th) |
| Penalty Kill | 79.3% (18th) | 78.2% (24th) |
Projected Lines
Isabelle at the Washington Post has the expected lines for us. She highlighted that Travis Boyd is out, so Lars Eller will take that spot on the second power play. Dmitrij Jaškin and Madison Bowey also out. We mentioned earlier that Braden Holtby is likely to start this evening:
Ovechkin – Backstrom – Wilson
Vrana – Kuznetsov – Oshie
Burakovsky – Eller – Connolly
Stephenson – Dowd – DSP
Kempny – Carlson
Orlov – Niskanen
Orpik – Siegenthaler
Holtby
Playoff Chances
It is never too early to start peekin’ at playoff chances. Personally, I like looking at the odds after the first ten games, but now will do! Spoiler alert: Caps are fine.
Playoff chances, West and East. pic.twitter.com/Ghu1EViPme
— Micah Blake McCurdy (@IneffectiveMath) January 18, 2019
Storylines
- Personally, if I’m going to get all up in my feelings about Barry Trotz, I sure as heck expect him to cry too.
- Big shouts to our very own Alex Hayes for his fantastic series “RMNB Midseason NHL Awards”! His final installment is live and he’s covering the Hart Trophy.
- It was the best of Trotz, it was the worst of Trotz. Mainly the best though because Brennin put a post together on some great Barry Trotz highlights.
- There has been some White House visit talk. If you’re looking for an update on whether the Capitals will be attending or not, we provided one.
- Best sound in sports! A compilation of all the “tings” and “pings” you thought might’ve made it in.
- World Cup of Hockey 2020 ain’t happenin’.
Dancing Pigeon
Look at this dang pigeon dancing along to “Blurred Lines”. I’m not a fan of the song, but this is a big Friday game day mood.
This pigeon jamming along to blurred lines pic.twitter.com/CDGwUQMJ9h
— Freaking Awesome (@freak1ngawesome) January 17, 2019
Full RMNB Coverage of Caps vs Islanders
Headline photo: Bruce Bennett/Getty Images North America
