Washington Capitals Face a Busy Week at Home
Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
After a stunning victory against the Buffalo Sabres in which Alex Ovechkin returned from an injury, Brooks Laich ended his 26-game goal drought, and the Washington Capitals scored six goals against their opponent, the team looks ahead to a three-game week at home. The Washington Capitals remain comfortably in fourth place in their division with 82 points, six behind the league leader and thirteen ahead of their fifth place contender.
After a worrisome game against the Wild in which the Capitals were handicapped by injuries – most notably Ovechkin’s – the team has rallied once again to prove they won’t stay down for long. Ovechkin remains the league leader in goals, Nicklas Backstrom is the league leader in assists, the two are tied for second in points, newcomer Curtis Glencross has jolted the defense awake and has two goals and two assists for his new team, and Jay Beagle is arguably having his best season yet with a career record of ten goals. The Washington Capitals are gelling well but they will certainly be tested in the upcoming week.
Washington Capitals vs. New York Rangers
The Washington Capitals begin their week against the dominating New York Rangers, who sit second in the division and only one point behind the Islanders and have won seven of their last ten games. Star goaltender Henrik Lundqvist is still sidelined after taking a puck to the throat on January 31 but backup goalie Cam Talbot has been a formidable opponent since moving into the starting position, earning a 10-2-3 record. The 1-0 overtime win over the Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday was in no small part due to the henomenal playing by Talbot and it was the first time the Rangers have shut out the Blackhawks since 1966; it was Talbot’s seventh shutout of the season.
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He has played in 15 of the last 16 games and although Lundqvist has begun skating again, his return date is unknown. In addition to two stellar goalies, the Rangers arguably have the best defense in the league and right winger Rick Nash has been a hot player all year, second only to Ovechkin in goals with 38. This will undoubtedly be a tough game and is the second match of the four game series; the teams previously met at the end of December when the Rangers defeated the Capitals 4-2. The game airs on Wednesday, March 11 at 8PM EST.
Washington Capitals vs. Dallas Stars
The Washington Capitals move on from the Rangers to face the Dallas Stars, a less intimidating yet still competitive team. The Stars are in last place in the Central Division with 68 points, only three behind Colorado; they’ve been struggling as of late and have won only three of their last ten games. Like the Sabres, this team has nothing to lose so the Washington Capitals can either obliterate them or be faced with a devil-may care team that can bar them from gaining much needed points – either way, the Capitals should take care not to underestimate what they might be facing.
Stars leading scorer Tyler Seguin is still active, scoring two against Tampa Bay in their most recent meet on Saturday, though injuries sustained by defensemen John Klingberg and Trevor Daley are hard losses for the team. Klingberg is listed as day-to-day with a lower-body injury sustained on Saturday, so he may make an appearance by the time the two teams meet but Daley will likely be out for two to four weeks with a knee injury suffered when Islanders Matt Martin hit him last week (Martin was suspended for one game for the hit).
The Washington Capitals previously met the Stars in mid-January and the Stars defeated the Capitals 5-4 despite the Capitals outshooting them 32-26. This game airs on Friday, March 13 at 7PM EST.
Washington Capitals vs. Boston Bruins
The Washington Capitals end their four-game home stretch with a game against the Boston Bruins, the team that is fourth in the Atlantic Division and has won four of their last five games. Recently acquired Maxime Talbot has given the team a boost of energy and Gregory Campbell has returned after four games for an upper-body injury. Campbell, Daniel Paille, and Talbot have formed an unstoppable line and are responsible for two goals and five points in the last two games.
The month of March will be a difficult one for the Bruins, who are clinging to the final wild card spot in the Eastern Conference and have other teams within mere points of replacing them. The Bruins have been weak with the penalty kill in recent games, something the Capitals should be able to capitalize on with a power-play percentage of 24.9 percent, the second-best in the league. The Washington Capitals must absolutely remain at the top of their game to defeat this contender.
The game will be the second of a three-game series; the Capitals handily defeated the Bruins 4-0 in their last meeting in October. This game will air on Sunday, March 15 at 7:30PM EST.
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