Honestly, I don’t have much to tell you. This all feels very strange and it’s entirely too hot outside to be talking hockey, but here we are. Welcome back, everyone.
The Capitals will be facing off against the Carolina Hurricanes in an exhibition game before the Stanley Cup qualifying round kicks off this weekend. Samantha Pell with the Washington Post reported that while this is simply a fun game that won’t mean anything for the playoffs, you can expect that the Capitals will be treating this like a dress rehearsal for the postseason. I will also be treating this like a dress rehearsal for the postseason. Need to find my jerseys, figure out my lucky drink, and draft some punny tweets.
The puck will be dropping at 4 PM from the bubble and Chris will deliver you a glorious recap.
 |
 |
|
|---|---|---|
| Record | 38-25-5 | 41-20-8 |
| Shot Attempt % | 54.4% | 51.8% |
| PDO | 99.3 | 100.5 |
| Power Play | 22.3% (8th) | 19.4% (17th) |
| Penalty Kill | 84.0% (4th) | 82.6% (6th) |
Projected Lines
In terms of goalies, Coach Todd Rierden confirmed that Braden Holtby will play the first two periods and Vitek Vanecek will back him up and play the third. Expected lineup:
Ovechkin – Kuznetsov – Wilson
Vrana – Backstrom – Oshie
Hagelin – Eller – Kovalchuk
Panik – Dowd – Hathaway
Kempny – Carlson
Dillon – Orlov
Siegenthaler – Jensen
Holtby
If you’re curious, you can check out the Hurricanes lineup here.
Surprise, Connor McDavid is still good
I was hoping he would lose a step or two during this time off. But, during the Oilers-Flames game yesterday, McDavid looked almost bored. The Oilers won 4-1.
Casual. 💁♂️@cmcdavid97 making a no-look goal look easy. pic.twitter.com/rUJWLX4fPi
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) July 29, 2020
Storylines
- Hotel X views are not too shabby.
- Why is the Colorado Avalanche social media so rude?
- Do you need a quick refresher on Capitals hockey? Peter and Ian have you covered.
- David Pastrnak was not wrong when he tweeted out, “Tom Wilson is the best goal scorer in the league”.
- If you forgot how to hockey, don’t feel alone because the Pittsburgh Penguins did too.
- There is a new Washington Nationals bobblehead featuring Max Scherzer and his four dogs!
- It’s okay to be feeling a bit iffy about this whole thing.
- The Washington Nationals will not be traveling to play the Marlins in Miami this weekend.
- Tim Hortons is serving up coffee and donuts in the bubble!
- Someone get me a Columbus Blue Jackets bubble hockey shirt immediately.
- Now, THIS is one heck of a way to watch a hockey game.
Quick reminder
While sports are returning, I wanted to take a quick second to remind you that we are still in a global pandemic. Please make sure you are washing your hands, wearing your mask, practicing social distancing, and staying home as much as possible. Taking these steps will not only keep you healthy, but also keep others healthy too. If you’ve been doing these things and nobody has told you that you’re doing a good job, I will. You’re doing a great job, keep it up.
Full RMNB Coverage of Caps vs Canes
Headline image: Cara Bahniuk
