The Caps haven’t lost since December 29, and they haven’t gone without a point since December 27. That was back in the salad days of 2016, when everything was simple, and the Wii U was the best Nintendo system you could get.
Now, after dropping monster teams like the Hawks, Penguins, and Blue Jackets, the Caps will today face their toughest threat yet, a team that has won 2 of its last 10 games and scratches its most interesting player, The Philadelphia Flyers.
Join me, won’t you, at 1:00 PM? Game’s at home, and CSN has the local telecast.
| Team | Record | SA% | PDO | Power Play | Penalty Kill |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia Flyers | 22-17-6 | 50.6% | 98.0 | 23.4% | 80.9% |
| Washington Capitals | 28-9-5 | 53.7% | 103.6 | 18.0% | 86.1% |
Projected Lines
The Caps didn’t practice yesterday, so let’s pretend these lines are still accurate. They’re the same as Friday but with Grubauer in net.
Ovechkin – Backstrom– Oshie
Johansson – Kuznetsov – Williams
Connolly – Eller – Burakovsky
Winnik – Beagle – Wilson
Alzner – Carlson
Orlov – Niskanen
Orpik – Schmidt
Grubauer
Friday Night
Mmmk pic.twitter.com/NYoqAGscdA
— Peter Hassett (@peterhassett) January 14, 2017
Dr. Girlfriend and I attended the Caps vs the Hawks. The above photo is how we looked after the Hawks’ “goal” which was then reversed. A good time was had by all, especially Jay Beagle and Tom Wilson. It was nice to see some RMNB readers, like Megan, Adam, and Owen, plus old friends like Sam and Wes. But most importantly, it was good to shake Aileen’s faith to the core, really break her down as a hockey fan, so we can build her back up again as a 100% Caps fan.
Storylines
- The NHL has decided to move today’s game back 30 minutes. I suppose that’s to accommodate the national broadcast, which we will not be watching.
- Philly has had a rough go of it lately. They’ve lost eight of their last ten, they got stomped by Boston on Saturday, and they’re scratching the Ghost Bear for no good reason.
- Boyd Gordon, who I had forgot plays for the Flyers now, has been re-assigned to the AHL. I’m not following close enough to know if that’s a bad choice.
- The Caps have called up Chandler Stephenson. Could he beeeee any more excited to join the big club?
- Today will be game number 501 in a row for Karl Alzner. <3 Cal Ripken forever and ever.
- The Columbus Blue Jackets lost yesterday, so the throne is up for grabs.
- Braden Holtby is red hot, and more from Isabelle.
- Finally, big ups to Jay Beagle and Joshua R. for making Friday night so full of win.
Announcement Coming Tomorrow
No spoilers, but please do check back with RMNB on Monday for a special announcement. OoOoOoOoO
Headline photo: Patrick Smith
