Top 3 key Capitals to watch against Maple Leafs
Get ready for a Frozen Frenzy. The Washington Capitals against the Toronto Maple Leafs are up first in what will be a night consisting of 16 NHL games featuring all 32 teams. A reminder for those going to the game and those watching at home, the game starts at 6 p.m. NOT at 7 and it’ll be on ESPN as well as ESPN plus.
Today’s morning skate was an optional. Feel like the morning skates will all be optional on game days with Spencer Carbery in charge. The Capitals made a move by sending Clay Stevenson to the Hershey Bears and calling up Hunter Shepard.
Carbery said that Darcy Kuemper gets the start in goal tonight while Shepard will get the nod tomorrow night in New Jersey against the Devils.
Here are the lines from Monday’s practice:
#Caps lines, pairs and goalies on Monday:
— Tarik El-Bashir (@Tarik_ElBashir) October 23, 2023
Ovechkin-Strome-Phillips
McMichael-Kuznetsov-Oshie
Milano-Backstrom-Wilson
Malenstyn-Protas-Mantha
Fehervary-Carlson
Sandin-TvR
Alexeyev-Jensen
Haman Aktell-Johansen
Kuemper
Stevenson
*No Dowd or Lindgren
*D-pairs are different
And here are the top 3 Caps players to watch in tonight’s tilt:
#3 Alex Ovechkin
To put it simple, Alex Ovechkin is due for a goal tonight. After going two straight games without a shot, he had five shots the other night in Montreal against the Canadiens. He wasn’t lucky that night but maybe he gets lucky tonight.
He’ll go toe to toe with Auston Matthews which is always a fun matchup.
#2 Dylan Strome
Dylan Strome broke through the other night and if the rest of the Caps continue to struggle scoring, I could see Strome leading the team in goals at season’s end.
Strome scored two third period goals on Saturday at Montreal which marked his 10th career multi goal game as a member of the Caps. Last season he set career highs in games played with 81, goals with 23, assists with 42, and points with 65. It was his first season in Washington.
Seven of Strome’s 23 goals came in the third period last season and 14 of his 65 points came in the final 10 minutes of regulation or overtime That was the third highest total on the team behind Alex Ovechkin (24 points) and Evgeny Kuznetsov (15 points).
Strome had 28 points down the stretch in his final 22 games of the season with 11 goals and 17 assists. He was the hottest player in that tough stretch that saw the Capitals slip in the standings and their playoff hopes come to an end.
Since Dec. 14, 2022, Strome has led the Caps in points with 19 goals and 25 assists for 44 points in 54 games played. His 52.7 percent shot attempt percentage at five on five ranks first on the Caps.
Strome is once again expected to center the top line alongside Alex Ovechkin and Matthew Phillips.
#1 Rasmus Sandin
After watching the Matthew Phillips revenge game last week in their first win of the season against the Calgary Flames, will we see the Rasmus Sandin revenge game tonight?
Tonight the defenseman goes against his former team for the first time in his career. He was drafted by Toronto in the first round at 29th overall in the 2018 NHL Draft. From 2019 to 2023, he recorded 48 points with 10 goals and 38 assists in 140 career games with the Maple Leafs.
The Caps acquired him from the Leafs in exchange for defenseman Erik Gustafsson and the Boston Bruins’ first round pick in the 2023 NHL Draft on Feb. 28 just ahead of the trade deadline. It was their best pickup at mid season.
In 19 games with the Capitals last season, Sandin recorded 15 points with three goals and 12 assists. That included multi point efforts in his first four games.
Sandin set career highs in games played with 71, goals with seven, assists with 28, and points with 35 in 2022 23 which more than doubled his previous career in 2021 22 with five goals, 11 assists and 16 points in 51 games played.
This season, Sandin ranks second on the Caps in ice time per game with an average of 22:13. Look for Sandin to line up on the second defensive pair with Trevor van Riemsdyk in tonight’s game.
More. Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Washington Capitals: Date, Time, Betting Odds, Streaming, More. light
Once again don’t forget the game starts at 6 p.m. not 7. You can catch it on ESPN or ESPN plus if you don’t have a ticket.