The Washington Capitals are dejected losers of five straight games, disgruntled former occupants of the division lead, and recent holders of a grave, players-only meeting.
They should not despair. These kinds of slumps happen.
By Peter Hassett 2 months ago
Grab your digital bidding paddles, Capitals fans. The Better Halves are back once again, auctioning off their annual themed gift baskets. As always, the baskets include autographed Capitals memorabilia, from jerseys to commemorative Stanley Cup championship merchandise, but also a few weird and wonderful surprises.
So if you’ve ever felt a desire to own signed fishing gear from Pheonix Copley, a signed four-person tent from Matt Niskanen (you’ve got to be prepared for the desert island, after all), or even some signed salami from Jonas Siegenthaler, then this is the auction for you.
By Donya Abramo 2 months ago
After taking a scary hit into the boards and being scratched for five consecutive games, both Matt Niskanen and Dmitrij Jaskin will be back into the lineup against the bottom-feeding St. Louis Blues.
For Jaskin, this is a chance to get revenge against the team who waived him this past fall.
By Julia Karron 3 months ago
Matt Niskanen was part of a scary play Thursday against the Hurricanes where he was knocked face-first into the boards. The defenseman missed Friday’s pratice and Saturday’s game, but after speaking to media after practice on Sunday, he says there are no hard feelings.
“I don’t think anybody did anything wrong,” Niskanen said to NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti. “A bad set of circumstances. Me and Justin Williams were racing for the puck. It’s a little bump. That happens 20 times a game.”
By Cara Bahniuk 3 months ago
Defenseman Matt Niskanen is not expected to play against the Ottawa Senators on Saturday night, and the Washington Capitals will have to change their defensive pairings accordingly. Niskanen did participate in his first morning skate after sustaining a scary upper-body injury during Thursday’s 3-1 victory over the Hurricanes but is still listed as day-to-day.
The Capitals’ forward lines remain the same. Pheonix Copley will get the start in net, giving Braden Holtby the night off. Copley got his first career shutout against the bottom-dwelling Senators the last time these two teams met.
By Alex Hayes 3 months ago
After leaving Thursday’s game with an injury, Caps defenseman Matt Niskanen is absent from practice on Friday morning.
Update, 1 PM: Niskanen’s status is day-to-day. He will travel with the team.
In the third period of Thursday’s Caps-Canes game, Matt Niskanen was apparently injured in a boarding-like collision with Clark Bishop and Justin Williams.
It was an awful and scary hit, but Niskanen was able to walk off the ice on his own.
Watch it for yourself.
By Ian Oland 3 months ago
Monday afternoon, the Washington Capitals made their annual visit to MedStar Georgetown University Hospital. Donning their red home jerseys and Christmas-themed hats, the players interacted with children, while signing autographs and taking photos.
“It’s just about whatever [kids] want us to do,” John Carlson said to the Capitals about the annual event. “As much or as little as they want us to participate in things. Whatever we can do to bring smiles – that’s our focus.”
By Cara Bahniuk 3 months ago
Devante Smith-Pelly had an extreme ice adventure late in the first period against the Montreal Canadiens.
Smith-Pelly lost his skate blade after absorbing a rough run into the boards by Kenny Agostino.
This was problematic (and funny) because skating is hard without one of your skate blades. Who knew?
The happiest day of the Capitals regular season happened on Saturday when they participated in the annual canine calendar photoshoot. Partnering with Homeward Trails Animal Rescue, the guys posed with dogs up for adoption, as well as their own family-owned pups.
This year’s shoot was more relaxed, with each Caps player sporting their own style with a special guest: the STANLEY CUP! And what’s better than tiny puppies in the Cup? Not much.
Capitals players John Carlson, Brett Connolly, Nic Dowd, Lars Eller, TJ Oshie, Alex Ovechkin, Matt Niskanen, and Chandler Stephenson all posed with their own dogs. Nicklas Backstrom, Madison Bowey, Travis Boyd, Andre Burakovsky, Pheonix Copley, Christian Djoos, Braden Holtby, Dmitrij Jaskin, Michal Kempny, Evgeny Kuznetsov, Dmitry Orlov, Devante Smith-Pelly, Jakub Vrana, Nathan Walker, and Tom Wilson took their photos with dogs available for adoption through Homeward Trails.
Since the calendar began in 2014, the Caps have raised almost $250,000 for Homeward Trails. A limited number of calendars will be available for $20 at the November 21 game against the Chicago Blackhawks. The calendar will be sold online and details will be announced at a later date.
While the official photos won’t be seen until the release, we hope these adorable photos will hold you over until then.
By Cara Bahniuk 6 months ago
