This is your place to check for updates and comment along with the Washington Capitals vs. Columbus Blue Jackets game on January 8, 2023.
The Washington Capitals take on the Columbus Blue Jackets at Capital One Arena tonight. While the result of the game is important, everyone’s focus will be on how well Nicklas Backstrom and Tom Wilson play and how well they assimilate back onto the team.
Backstrom and Wilson are making their season debuts for the Capitals tonight after long rehabs from major offseason surgery. Their play will determine how high of a ceiling this team has both in the second half of the season and in the postseason.
Today’s game is on NBC Sports Washington and puck drop is a little after 5 pm. This will mark the Capitals’ second game in four days. Their last matchup, the Capitals won 6-2.
Links
- The lines with Backstrom and Wilson
- Strome to wing
- Nicklas Backstrom is back
- ‘I have no pain and I’m able to skate and move the way I want to’
- Tom Wilson is too
- Quotes from Wilson last week
- It’s really real
- No Mantha / That’s kinda absurd
- John Carlson is on LTIR
- Aliaksei Protas to Hershey
- Snively to Hershey
- First line Miro?
Lines
Tunnel shenanigans
DIDN'T MISS A BEAT @tom_wilso #ALLCAPS | @CaesarsSports pic.twitter.com/hClZO6NACP
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) January 8, 2023
1st Period
The Capitals start Ovechkin-Backstrom-Wilson and Gustafsson-TVR. Darcy Kuemper will face Elvis Merzlinkins and his terrible .861 save percentage for the second time in less than a week.
Alex Alexeyev makes a fantastic one-on-one defense play on Johnny Gaudreau to kill an early dangerous Columbus rush.
🚨 1-0 Capitals. Erik Gustafsson continues his goal-scoring onslaught. His attempted pass to the slot hit Blue Jackets defender Tim Berni in the skates and ricocheted through Merzlikins’ pads.
Marcus Johansson rattles the post with a wide-open chance that sees the puck fly straight through the crease after striking the frame.
Garnet Hathaway absolutely levels Marcus Bjork with a hit in front of the Columbus bench. Gavin Bayreuther forces Hathaway to answer for the hit with fisticuffs and gets an extra penalty for roughing.
The Capitals were outshot by Columbus 12 to 8 in the first period and out-attempted by them at 5v5, 20 to 15. Columbus also holds the expected goals edge, 1.33 to 0.67.
2nd Period
Mathieu Olivier wants Tom Wilson to drop the gloves after a big hit. Wilson declines.
Erik Gustafsson draws a penalty against the run of play. Second chance on the man advantage in the game for the Caps.
The Blue Jackets extended their shot advantage in the game to 24-13 through two periods and hold a 5v5 shot-attempt lead of 42 to 29. The Caps had scored a goal in 16 straight second periods until this scoreless one.
3rd Period
Dylan Strome misses a stick lift on Patrik Laine and catches the high-scoring winger in the grill instead. Two minutes for high-sticking.
Noted goon Nicklas Backstrom gets called for an interference minor in the offensive zone. He was not a big fan of the call.
One goal would be enough as Darcy Kuemper recorded his league-leading fourth shutout of the season.
Comment below. Refresh this article throughout the night as we’ll be updating it live.
