We’re back! The Washington Capitals open the season TONIGHT against the New York Rangers in what is sure to be a dog fight of a Metropolitan Division matchup. This is their first meeting since that infamous May 5th battle that had several fights. It was a game that the Caps would ultimately prevail in as T.J. Oshie netted a hat trick.
Plot Twist #72: Line brawl to start the #Rangers vs. #Capitals game pic.twitter.com/Cjd9L3PPDI
— The Hockey News (@TheHockeyNews) May 5, 2021
Why were there fights in that game? They met just two days prior and in the second period with the Rangers on the power play there was a scrum after a whistle. There were a slew of penalties with the Rangers getting awarded a 5 on 3. But were they really rewarded?
https://twitter.com/AliMatthews34/status/1389392956734517249
Tom Wilson got a double minor and a 10 minute misconduct after he flipped Artemi Panarin. Panarin basically jumped on Wilson’s back in the middle of his scrum with Pavel Buchnevich. It was a shot heard around the hockey world creating even what Wilson himself called on media day a “perfect storm.”
Wilson talked about the upcoming rematch:
"“It’s a big spotlight on that game. I mean, that’s what makes sports great. The rivalries, the emotion, the passion — we’ll call it that to be polite. Social media’s a different monster, but that’s why hockey’s such a great game. Teammates sticking up for each other, hard-nosed game. So it’ll be exciting, I know everyone’s excited about it, but it’s just another hockey game.”"
The Rangers would fire their head coach David Quinn, general manager Jeff Gorton and team president John Davidson. They also issued a silly statement calling Wilson’s incident with Panarin a “horrifying act of violence”. The Rangers brought in Chris Drury and Gerard Gallant as head coach. They also added several enforces including Barclay Goodrow and everyone’s “favorite” Ryan Reaves.
After Reaves got hurt from a hit by PK Subban, he ended up practicing and will be in the lineup. You really wouldn’t think he’d miss out on a chance to see his old buddy Tom Wilson would he?
Get your popcorn ready.
Date: Wednesday October 13
Time: 7:30 p.m.
Where: Capital One Arena
What Channel Is the Capitals Game On: TNT
Radio: Caps Radio 24/7, 106.7 The Fan
Betting Odds: The Rangers vs. Capitals betting odds on WynnBET have the Capitals as -1.5 point favorites at home in Capital One Arena. The Capitals are at -120 when it comes to their moneyline odds as the Rangers are considered the underdogs in this matchup at +110. The total over/under for tonight’s Capitals game is at 6.0 points.
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