The Washington Capitals began the month of January with a home loss in overtime to the New Jersey Devils but they at least were able to come back and force a point. There would’ve been a game last night in Montreal against the Canadiens but it got postponed. With no games until Friday night at the St. Louis Blues, the Caps have been hitting the rink hard for practice.
The Caps recalled Aliaksei Protas from the Hershey Bears prior to Tuesday’s practice. T.J. Oshie and Nicklas Backstrom didn’t play Sunday against the Devils nor were they at practice and you can add Connor McMichael to the non COVID illness group. Defenseman Dmitry Orlov left practice early and so did Ilya Samsonov. No updates from coach Peter Laviolette.
This weekend will be like a winter classic weekend. That’s because the Caps see not only the Blues but the Minnesota Wild, the two teams that took part in the NHL’s outdoor showcase this year in what was the coldest Winter Classic in history.
The Caps are back at home on Monday against the Boston Bruins. And then they get another breather before another back to back affair. That will be a Saturday matinee at the New York Islanders and a Sunday afternoon home game against the Vancouver Canucks. Be sure to stop by the Wharf on that Saturday Jan. 15 game for the Rock the Rink watch party.
I hope you enjoyed that gap between gamedays because that will no longer be the case to close out January. Which is great news for those who can’t get enough hockey. They’ll close out the month with six games, four of which come at home. First it’s the Winnipeg Jets on the 18th, then they head to Boston on the 20th. They return home to host the Ottawa Senators on the 22nd.
On the 24th it’s a 2018 Stanley Cup Final rematch as the Caps host the Vegas Golden Knights. On the 26th, the Caps host the San Jose Sharks. The month rounds out with a road contest on the 28th at the Dallas Stars.
Overall it should be another good month of hockey with some interesting teams that we hadn’t seen play the Caps in quite a while. Alex Ovechkin will look to keep his incredible season going as he’s got 24 goals and 26 assists for 50 points. Look out Jaromir Jagr, he’s getting closer.