With the eliminations on Friday, the list of the Washington Capitals’ possible opponents for the first round of the playoffs has dwindled. Sunday’s round-robin game against the Boston Bruins will decide if the Caps will face the Carolina Hurricanes or New York Islanders.
By Peter Hassett 14 hours ago
NBC Sports analyst Alan May was on Elliot in the Morning today. He talked about how meaningless round-robin play is, why the Caps are playing so poorly, and why he believes in Braden Holtby.
But you’re not here for that. You’re here to hear Alan admit to diving.
By Peter Hassett 19 hours ago
Not sure what
*gestures broadly towards the last 2.5 hours*
that was all about.
The Caps were just plain terrible against the Philadelphia Flyers in their second game of round-robin play, which is fake hockey and doesn’t matter, and yes this is how I have decided to rationalize this.
Scott Laughton put the Flyers up in the first period after a defensive-zone turnover that we will discuss. Travis Sandheim made it 2-0 in the second period during a rare moment when the Capitals were not on the penalty kill. The third period happened, unfortunately, bringing with it another goal by Laughton. With mercy, new boy Travis Boyd ended the shutout a few moments later.
Flyers beat Caps 3-1.
By Peter Hassett 2 days ago
In his media availability on Thursday morning, Caps head coach Todd Reirden set expectations for tonight’s round-robin game against the Philadelphia Flyers.
Travis Boyd will step into the lineup, but less is certain about John Carlson.
By Peter Hassett 2 days ago
The Capitals announced Wednesday that forward Lars Eller has left the quarantine bubble in Toronto to return to Washington for the birth of his child. Eller and his wife Julie announced in March that they are expecting their second child, a boy, on August 8. Eller’s departure from the team was pre-planned.
By Peter Hassett 3 days ago
It’s been a night of iffy hits and injuries in the NHL. Earlier, Toronto’s Jake Muzzin was stretchered off the ice after taking a suspect cross-check from Pierre-Luc Dubois. Later, Winnipeg’s Mathieu Perreault left the Jets-Flames game after taking an iffy hit into the boards from Calgary forward Sam Bennett.
By Peter Hassett 4 days ago
Russian journalist Alexei Shevchenko reported on Monday that Capitals goalie Ilya Samsonov‘s reported injury this summer was the result of an ATV accident in Magnitogorsk, Russia.
Samsonov, 23, had been absent from training camp. The team announced on July 25 that Samsonov would not join the team in the bubble.
By Peter Hassett and Ian Oland 4 days ago
The Vegas Golden Knights defeated the Dallas Stars on Monday night on the strength of a couple goals from fellas you might remember.
By Peter Hassett 5 days ago
I guess the Washington Capitals are still emerging from the sleepiness of the pause. Judging by their intermittent effort in Monday’s first round-robin game, it’s not going to be throwing a switch. To get the Caps back at the appropriate level of playoff intensity will be a process.
Lars Eller goofed up a breakout to give Nikita Kucherov a gimme against Holtby for the game’s first goal. Mitchell Stephens made it 2-0 with a funky rebound in the second period, but the Caps struck back. Richard Panik grinded out a trash goal to get the Caps on the board, and then Evgeny Kuznetsov got one on the power play to tie the game late in the second period. The third period didn’t change that score, so we got to see some three-on-three overtime.
Overtime gave us nothing, so here they come. You know you missed them…
Shootout bullets!
Caps lose.
By Peter Hassett 5 days ago
Bummer news. Defender John Carlson will not play in Monday’s game against the Tampa Bay Lightning, the team announced.
Carlson got banged up late in the exhibition game against the Carolina Hurricanes.
By Peter Hassett 5 days ago
