Fresh off a three-win road trip, the Washington Capitals have returned home… to spawn …and then to fight the Columbus Blue Jackets. At 7 PM at Verizon Center, the Caps will play host the the beat-up Blooj, the league’s most injured team by a mile.
If the Caps keep playing like they have been, they should be able to get their first four-game winning streak since April of 2013.
| Team | Record | Possession | PDO | Power Play | Penalty Kill |
| Washington Capitals | 13-10-4 | 51.1% | 99.2 | 28.8% | 76.2% |
| Columbus Blue Jackets | 10-15-2 | 46.3% | 98.0 | 23.0% | 76.3% |
Projected Lineup
Still no Burra, but Mike Green is back in action! From Prewitt:
Ovechkin – Backstrom – Wilson
Johansson – Kuznetsov – Brouwer
Laich– Fehr – Ward
Chimera– Latta – Beagle
Orpik – Carlson
Alzner – Niskanen
Schmidt – Green
Holtby
.@BlueJacketsNHL lines courtesy of @RobMixer:
Jenner-Johansen-Skille
Calvert-Dubinsky-Atkinson
Hartnell-Foligno-Gibbons
Tropp-Chaput-Boll— Adam Vingan (@AdamVingan) December 11, 2014
Best Thing on the Internet Today
Brandon did not want to be on TV.
Storylines
- After 7 games hurt, Mike Green is back! Jack Hillen did a fine job in relief IMHO.
- Karl Alzner is a new father. More on that below.
- That makes three scratches in a row for Andre Burakovsky. So much for Calder buzz.
- No news is bad news regarding Dmitry Orlov, who hasn’t played since the mid 80s.
- Bob in net.
- Ouchies in Lumbus.
- No alumni game at the Classic. Are the Lerners to blame?
- Great Barry Trotz interview over at WNST. Skipjacks 4 life.
- Aaron Volpatti is headed to Hershey for a conditioning stint.
Take Karl to #TheBank
Karl Alzner joked that the birth of his daughter gave him "instant man strength, dad strength." I have no basis of knowledge to confirm.
— Adam Vingan (@AdamVingan) December 11, 2014
Karl Alzner averages 19 minutes of ice per game. He averages about 0.8 shots in that time. His career shooting is 2.5 percent. Napkin math, but there is a one-in-fifty chance he scores a goal tonight. Seeing as he is a new father, I think we should double it. One in twenty five! Take it to #thebank.
What You’re Missing on TV Tonight
On a very special episode of The Big Bang Theory (8:00 PM on CBS), someone named Amy plans a traditional Victorian dinner, while someone named Raj, someone named Leonard and someone named Howard scramble to remove a pigeon that flew into the clean room at the university. To prove a point to someone named Amy, a Scrooge-like someone named Sheldon buys her the worst possible gift. Clammy jokes at the expense of marginalized people pervade, and a merry time is had by all. Do not watch.
Hot Take on Lumbersexuals
https://twitter.com/peterhassett/status/543072830334595074
Maybe I’m just jealous I can’t grow a beard.
