We all remember Jakub Vrana’s goal in the second period that gave the Capitals a 2-0 lead over the Penguins. TJ Oshie set it up with a mind-bogglingly good backhand pass.
But it’s the selfless defensive play that happened 11 seconds prior that Oshie credited as perhaps winning it for the Capitals.
Henrik Lundqvist took to social media on Wednesday to publish an update about his recovery. The Capitals’ netminder had open-heart surgery six weeks ago. Today he ran for the first time.
“Today is a good day,” Lundqvist wrote. “The checkup with the doctor this morning reaffirmed what I’ve been feeling last few weeks, everything looking great. It energized me so much I had to go out for a run (FYI, I’m not a runner). #Stepbystep”
By Ian Oland 3 weeks ago
Jakub Vrana is a budding superstar in the NHL, but there are still some tiny rough edges to his game. While his play on the ice is mostly flawless, his appearances during intermission interviews can sometimes be flawed.
Vrana gives thoughtful, honest, and sometimes fun answers back to his interviewers, which is refreshing compared to the rest of his NHL brethren. But there is an awkward energy he brings to his expressive appearances that is both memorable and unexplainable.
The Capitals have played a frustrating game against the Penguins on Tuesday night. After earning and then squandering three power plays, the Caps looked poised to blow yet another lead.
But then TJ Oshie sent a blazing pass across the crease to Jakub Vrana, who sunk it.
Vrana now has goals in consecutive games.
By Ian Oland 3 weeks ago
The Washington Capitals had three games canceled last week due to COVID-19 outbreaks on the Philadelphia Flyers and Buffalo Sabres.
Tuesday, the NHL announced eight regular-season schedule changes to the Washington Capitals’ schedule.
The Washington Capitals will turn to rookie Vitek Vanecek for the eleventh straight game on Tuesday with Ilya Samsonov still out of the lineup.
Vanecek, who was named the NHL’s Rookie of the Month in January after not losing in regulation, has cooled off considerably in February. Vanecek is 0-3 in his four February starts, giving up 3.75 goals per game and posting a .846 save percentage.
Despite Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman noting that Vanecek looks “worn out by the workload” in his latest 31 Thoughts column, Capitals head coach Peter Laviolette will turn to the 24-year-old again against the Penguins.
During the Alex Ovechkin Era, the Washington Capitals introduced nearly a dozen new jerseys, including two new styles that were released this season: a Reverse Retro sweater and a new Third Jersey. Both uniforms were popular among fans and sold very well. That intrigued us. So we flapped our wings over to The Eagle’s Nest and took the temperature of Capitals Nation.
On February 5, we asked readers to fill out a survey to find out what they liked and disliked about the different styles and what they wanted to see in future jerseys. We received 3,290 responses.
This is what we learned.
By Ian Oland and Eliza Kravitz 3 weeks ago
Tom Wilson’s hands aren’t just for face-punching.
On Valentine’s Day, Wilson’s longtime girlfriend, volleyball star Taylor Pischke, shared a video of the two playing the piano.
“No one can make me laugh like you do,” she wrote. “Thanks for learning piano with me.”
Nicklas Backstrom’s second-period goal against the Pittsburgh Penguins was a milestone marker.
The goal was Backstrom’s 250th goal of his career, incredibly making him only the fourth Capitals player ever to reach that mark. The Swedish center is also one of only 39 active players to have that many times.
In a surprise announcement, Jakub Vrana landed on the NHL’s COVID-19 Unavailability List on February 6. Vrana had missed practice earlier in the day, which the Capitals termed a maintenance day. Then a little after 5 pm that night, Vrana was in protocol.
V’s quarantine was short-lived. On February 9, three days later, the NHL cleared Vrana. The Czech forward only missed one Capitals game, a 7-4 loss to the Flyers.
On Sunday, Vrana explained what happened.
