The All Star break is over and the second half of the regular season is well underway! Tonight the Washington Capitals return to action in a home contest against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Yesterday afternoon the Capitals held an optional practice at MedStar Capitals Iceplex. Alex Ovechkin was still in COVID protocol and not cleared to practice. Tom Wilson and Evgeny Kuznetsov were back from Vegas and were on the ice. T.J. Oshie wasn’t practicing as he’s week to week with an upper body injury.
Vitek Vanecek and Ilya Samsonov weren’t on the ice either. Vanecek had an upper body injury before the break. Pheonix Copley and video coach Brett Leonhardt were the goaltenders at practice. Connor McMichael was also absent.
Ovechkin won’t be allowed to travel to Montreal on Thursday to play the Canadiens because of the longer COVID quarantine restrictions in Canada.
The Caps are 2-0-0 against the Blue Jackets this season and won the most recent matchup 3-1 on Dec. 4 at Capital One Arena. Ovechkin has recorded 31 points with 20 goals and 11 assists in 39 career games against Columbus. Since the Capitals and Blue Jackets joined the Metropolitan Division in the 2013-14 season, Ovechkin’s 14 goals are tied for the second most against Columbus during that span.
The Caps held a morning skate today. Ovechkin was cleared to return from COVID protocol and was on the ice. Anybody that didn’t participate in yesterday’s practice was also cleared (Samsonov and Connor McMichael, who were awaiting test results). Copley was the other goaltender.
Here were the lines via Tom Gulitti of NHL.com:
Ovechkin-Kuznetsov-Sheary
Snively-Backstrom-Wilson
McMichael-Eller-Sprong
Hagelin-Dowd-Hathaway
Fehervary-Carlson
Orlov-Jensen
TvR-Schultz
Extras: Protas, Leason, Irwin, Cholowski, Kempny
The power play will have a different look as the Caps try to change their fortunes on the man advantage. Lars Eller moves up to the first unit while Kuznetsov drops down to the second.
First unit: Carlson, Ovechkin, Wilson, Backstrom, Eller
Second unit: Schultz, Sprong, Orlov (bumper), Kuznetsov
Vanecek (upper body) is now listed on injured reserve on the roster per the NHL’s media site. Copley will get the start in goal tonight while Samsonov will back him up. The Caps placed Dennis Cholowski on waivers. They also sent Brett Leason to the Hershey Bears.
Head coach Peter Laviolette discusses Alex Ovechkin's potential return, Pheonix Copley getting the call in net and more before puck drop against Columbus.#CapsJackets | @socios pic.twitter.com/UG2id2RySo
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) February 8, 2022
Can the Caps continue their dominance on the Blue Jackets? Here’s how to find out:
Date: Feb. 8, 2022
Time: 7 p.m.
Where: Capital One Arena
What Channel Is The Capitals Game On: NBC Sports Washington
Radio: 106. 7 The Fan and Caps Radio 24/7
Betting Odds: The betting odds on WynnBET have the Capitals as -1.5 favorites at home against the Blue Jackets. The moneyline is set with the Caps at -260 and the CBJ at +220. The over/under for tonight’s game is 6.0.
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