With the historic road trip behind the Washington Capitals, they set their attention to the Blue Jackets on home ice. Here is how to follow and what to expect.
The Washington Capitals return home having made history on their recent road trip. Since Alex Ovechkin has been in a Caps sweater the team has never swept the California road trip. The Capitals have now won six in a row after defeating the Anaheim Ducks 3-2 to finish the road trip and make history.
Considering the last encounter between these two teams, it would be expected that their would be some holdover of the animosity.
The game was a physical one from the moment the puck dropped. Once the dust had settled after about halfway through the first period Travis Boyd put the Caps on the board, finally got paid off for his hard work.
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The physicality and bad blood caught up with the Ducks who pulled the gloves in the second period to take on Radko Gudas.
This following a number of penalties dolled out to the Ducks which resulted in the Capitals second score of the contest, with a PPG by Kuznetsov. This seemed to rally the team, as Getzlaf would get the Ducks on the scoreboard near the end of the second.
The momentum would continue at the start of the third period as Adam Henrique would bring the game back even at 2-2. It wouldn’t take the Capitals but less than a minute later to snatch the momentum back with a Vrana goal.
This would be the last of the scoring, but not the end of the fireworks as Hathaway and Gudbranson would air out their grievances by dropping the gloves themselves. The end was what you would expect for a team looking to win versus one who was more looking for retribution.
Next up the Capitals will be facing the Blue Jackets, or a match up of two teams along two different paths. The Capitals as you know are riding a six game win streak versus the Blue Jackets who are on a four game losing streak.
Hence why one is leading the division while the other is barely out of the basement of the same division. This will also mark the first time these two will meet for the season. Although they will be done facing the Blue Jackets by the end of the month.
Look for the Capitals to take advantage of the momentum and home ice welcome party awaiting them. They will be getting back Nicklas Backstrom for the first time in eight games, where they have gone 6-1-1 since then.
The team will most likely limit his load for the first game back from an extensive break. But it isn’t necessary for him to contribute right away given their record since his absence and the contributions all along the roster they have gotten recently.
With Backstrom coming back, the team will probably scratch Travis Boyd to make room on the roster. And considering his recent success Braden Holtby will be pegged to man the goal.
Here is how to follow the action:
Date: Dec. 9th
Time: 7:00 PM EST
Where: Capital One Arena
TV Broadcast: NBC Sports Washington
Radio: WJFK 106.7 The Fan, Caps Radio 24/7
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