Donya Abramo

About Donya Abramo (@virtual_don)

18-year-old Kaapo Kakko, a likely top-two pick in the 2019 NHL Draft, leads the World Championship in goals

For most hockey fans, the name Kaapo Kakko doesn’t ring a bell. Soon it will be a household name.

Over the weekend, the Finnish prospect scored five goals in his first two games of the 2019 IIHF World Championship. He’s only 18-years-old.

Kakko is making his first-ever appearance for Finland’s senior World Championship team and is likely to be one of the top two picks in the 2019 NHL Draft in June.

After tallying twice against Canada in his debut game, Kakko scored a hat trick against Slovakia on Saturday. Kakko is the second youngest player in the tournament, behind only 17-year-old Jack Hughes, the United States’ phenom who is projected to be the number one overall pick. The two young prospects are competing against NHL stars and other countries’ top players, most of whom are in their primes and a decade older.

Kakko should be struggling with the level of play. Instead, he’s dominating.

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By Donya Abramo and Ian Oland 3 months ago

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‘The Demons have been exorcised!’: A year ago today, Evgeny Kuznetsov eliminated the Penguins from the playoffs

Exactly one year ago today, on May 7, 2018, Evgeny Kuznetsov secured his place in the hearts of Capitals fans and DC sports history when he scored the OTGWG to eliminate the Pittsburgh Penguins, sending the Caps to the Eastern Conference finals for the first time in 20 years.

As RMNB’s own Peter Hassett said in his recap of the game at the time, “Game over. Series over. Curse over.”

The Capitals, of course, went on to win their first ever Stanley Cup in franchise history a month later. But the second round win against the Penguins remains a highlight of the run, and for good reason.

So, let’s relive that moment and the aftermath in its entirety, together.

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By Donya Abramo 3 months ago

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Brian MacLellan open to re-signing Devante Smith-Pelly if certain ‘requirements’ are met

With the Washington Capitals entering their offseason earlier than anticipated, the future of several players remains in flux, with restricted and unrestricted free agency coming up on July 1.

Devante Smith-Pelly has yet to secure a contract with the Capitals for the 2019-20 season, and there appears to be no plan to send him back to Hershey — who are playing the Charlotte Checkers in the Atlantic Division Final — for the remainder of their Calder Cup run.

Smith-Pelly was called back up to the Capitals roster after a broken collarbone sidelined TJ Oshie. He was waived and sent to the Capitals AHL affiliate, the Hershey Bears, back in February. DSP tallied 14 points in 20 games with the Bears, including a hat trick in March against the Hartford Wolf Pack.

On breakdown day, Capitals general manager Brian MacLellan said that the Capitals were open to signing Smith-Pelly to another contract, but only if he met certain requirements.

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By Donya Abramo 4 months ago

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Jakub Vrana played through an injury during the playoffs

The Washington Capitals held their breakdown day at MedStar Capitals Iceplex on Friday, following their exit from the 2018-19 playoffs, which marked the official end of their season.

Several players were asked about whether they had been nursing any injuries during their first round matchup with the Carolina Hurricanes. Forward Jakub Vrana, who will be a restricted free agent this summer, confirmed that he had been struggling with an injury.

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By Donya Abramo 4 months ago

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All aboard …some other team’s bandwagon

The 2018-19 Caps are dead and gone, forcing us all to reckon with a grim reality and an impossible question: who do we support now?

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By Peter Hassett and Julia Karron and Brennin Weiswerda and Cara Bahniuk and Ian Oland and Rachel Cohen and Donya Abramo 4 months ago

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Andrei Svechnikov being re-evaluated, is possibility for Game Seven

Andrei Svechnikov has not been in the lineup for the Carolina Hurricanes since his fight with Alex Ovechkin in Game Three. He was taken to hospital after he was knocked out during the fight.

The 19-year-old rookie did some light skating during the Canes morning skate ahead of Game Four, sporting a black eye and a full cage.

Svechnikov told The Athletic’s Sara Civian that he hoped to play in Monday night’s Game Six, but the forward was ultimately not cleared for the game. However, according to comments from Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind’Amour on Tuesday, he remains a possibility for Game Seven.

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By Donya Abramo 4 months ago

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Here’s all 6 goals the Capitals scored in Game Five

The Washington Capitals lost TJ Oshie in Game Four to injury, but they got revenge in Game Five.

The Capitals scored six goals in front of their raucous home crowd, shutting out the Carolina Hurricanes 6-0.

Let’s review all the goals.

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By Donya Abramo 4 months ago

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Game Six will start at 7 PM on Monday night

Clear your Monday evening, Caps fans. While we already knew that a potential Game Six would be played at PNC Arena on Monday, April 22, we now have a real start time. The NHL has announced that the game will start at 7 PM.

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By Donya Abramo 4 months ago

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Capitals use rally towels to spell out ‘ALL CAPS ALL RED’ ahead of Game Five

The Washington Capitals are back at Capital One Arena on Saturday for Game Five, and the rally towels are making their return as well.

Just like Game One, the Capitals have used the towels to spell out “ALL CAPS” on one side of the arena. But Game Five has a minor addition to the rally towel presentation, with “ALL RED” on the opposite side of the seating.

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By Donya Abramo 4 months ago

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Capitals recall goaltender Ilya Samsonov from the Hershey Bears

On Friday, the Washington Capitals reassigned goaltender Vitek Vanecek to their AHL affiliate, the Hershey Bears. The same move saw forward Devante Smith-Pelly come back the Capitals, after being placed on waivers in February.

In order to keep a third goaltender on hand, Ilya Samsonov — who played in Hershey’s first playoff game against the Sound Tigers Friday night — has been added back to the roster.

We expect Vanecek and Samsonov to continue to trade places on the Capitals’ roster for as long as both Hershey and the Caps remain in their respective playoffs. Vanecek and Samsonov played in tandem throughout the Bears’ regular season, which saw them team up to send Hershey on a 17-game franchise-record point streak.

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By Donya Abramo 4 months ago

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Posts by Donya Abramo

About Donya Abramo (@virtual_don)