Nic Dowd is having a career year despite there being 31 percent less games than a normal season.
On Monday, the fourth-line center reached double digits in goals for the first time after beating Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin five-hole.
By Eliza Kravitz 2 years ago
When the coronavirus pandemic hit, sports was one of the first things to shut down. After a several-month pause, the NHL playoffs began in July and the league retreated to a Canadian bubble. For a vast majority of the 2020-21 regular season, games were played in front of no fans. But things are finally beginning to open up again.
As someone who grew up having season tickets for the majority of my life, not attending a single hockey game for over a year was strange. Thankfully, being in New York for school gave me the opportunity to attend a Capitals game at the Nassau Coliseum against the New York Islanders on April 1. Back in March, the Islanders were allowed to fill the arena to 10 percent capacity (approximately 1,300 fans) for games. Due to the limited amount of space, the Islanders gave their season ticket holders first access to the games.
The only way for non-season ticket holders to get tickets is from resale which is causing ticket prices to escalate. As of right now, tickets for the upper levels of the arena are going for around $300 per ticket.
Getting to attend a game was exciting, but I was curious how different the experience would be and how safe I would feel with the COVID-19 protocols they have in place. So I recorded down my experience at Nassau Coliseum so fans who return to Capital One Arena for Tuesday’s Capitals game will have an idea what things will be like.
By Eliza Kravitz 2 years ago
The NHL announced on Saturday that the Vancouver Canucks will be allowed to begin practicing again on Sunday, April 11, and return to action on Friday, April 16 in a game against the Edmonton Oilers. The return comes after the Canucks postponed eight games due to a severe COVID-19 outbreak.
A COVID-19 variant swept through the team causing nearly the entire roster (21 players) and four staff members to test positive for the disease, including all four former Capitals players: Braden Holtby, Nate Schmidt, Jay Beagle, and Travis Boyd. The Washington Post described the Canucks’ outbreak as “the worst in the NHL this season — and perhaps in North American professional sports since the start of the pandemic.”
After an investigation, the Canucks said that the source was a single person who contracted the virus in a “public exposure location.” The investigation was conducted by club officials and Vancouver Coastal Health.
By Eliza Kravitz 2 years ago
The Washington Capitals brought back its Screaming Eagle logo this season for the NHL’s Reverse Retro line. The jersey was wildly popular among Capitals fans, earning the honor of the top-selling Reverse Retro jersey in the NHL. In a poll conducted by RMNB of over 3,000 Capitals fans, the Reverse Retro jersey was the most popular specialty jersey of the Alex Ovechkin Era and the Screaming Eagle was the most popular logo overall. Recently, Dmitry Orlov called it a “dream come true” to wear the sweater.
Unfortunately, at least of right now, the jersey was retired after the Capitals played the Rangers on Saturday night. The Capitals rocked their Reverse Retro sweaters four times overall. They recorded a point in at least all but one, totaling five standings points out of a possible eight. Their record was 2-1-1.
By Eliza Kravitz 2 years ago
Evgeny Kuznetsov became the 13th player to play in 500 games with the Washington Capitals on Saturday.
The Capitals aired a tribute video during the game to honor Kuzy for all of his contributions throughout his tenure with the team.
By Eliza Kravitz 2 years ago
The Washington Capitals are 11-2-1 (23 points) since February 16 but are not in first place in the East Division. That’s because Barry Trotz’s New York Islanders have been just as hot over the last month.
Recently, the Isles leapfrogged the Caps for first. With a win over the New Jersey Devils 3-2 on Saturday, the Islanders now lead the Capitals by two points with 40. They have a game in hand.
By Eliza Kravitz 2 years ago
In Thursday night’s win against the Philadelphia Flyers, Ilya Samsonov celebrated an offensive milestone.
In the final 30 seconds of the game, Samsonov recorded his first NHL point – a primary assist. With the Capitals hanging onto a 4-3 lead against the Flyers, Samsonov tapped the puck to Nic Dowd who scored an empty-net goal from 185 feet away in the Capitals’ defensive zone.
By Eliza Kravitz 2 years ago
The NHL and its franchises took to social media on Monday to show their appreciation for the women who work for teams and its partners on International Women’s Day.
According to InternationalWomensDay.com, “IWD is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women.” Held annually on March 8th, IWD is a call to action to celebrate the achievements of women and raise awareness for gender equality while fundraising for female-focused charities.
For this writer, the day is special because representation matters. It shows that working in the NHL as more than a secretary is possible and there is room for women more than ever.
By Eliza Kravitz 2 years ago
Zdeno Chara will make his long-awaited return to TD Garden tonight for the first time since signing with the Capitals as an unrestricted free agent in late December.
Chara singular played in over 1,000 games for Boston. The city was his home for 14 out of his 24 total seasons in the NHL. While a Bruin, Chara won the Mark Messier Leadership Award, the James Norris Memorial Trophy, but most memorably he brought the Stanley Cup to Boston in 2011.
Although there won’t be fans in the arena to give Chara a standing ovation, he still feels their support.
By Eliza Kravitz 2 years ago
With two assists last night, including the game-winning apple, in the Capitals’ 5-2 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins, John Carlson now has the second-most points on the Caps with 17 (five goals, 12 assists).
Carlson is quietly making another run for the Norris Trophy after a career year in 2019-20 where the Capitals heavily campaigned for him on social media.
By Eliza Kravitz 2 years ago
