The perfect Thanksgiving recipe for a Capitals win this week

The Washington Capitals have just one game this week before the Thanksgiving holiday. After Turkey Day, the Capitals will play an afternoon game on Black Friday so make sure you get your shopping done in the morning. Thanksgiving Eve features a matchup on home ice with the Buffalo Sabres where all fans will receive a Capsgiving T shirt.

So what’s the perfect recipe for a Capitals win over the Sabres? Glad you asked!

Here’s what the lines looked like for Monday’s practice. Looks like Evgeny Kuznetsov is back from his illness.

I have zero idea what this means for Hendrix Lapierre who had a brilliant game on Saturday night with a goal and two assists for three points. But one thing we need in this Thanksgiving Eve recipe for a win is a three point performance by Alex Ovechkin.

If he can get a hat trick, three assists, two goals and one assist, or one goal and two assists, Ovi will be at 1,500 career points. It’s a big deal and one of the milestones within reach this season as he sits 67 goals away from tying Wayne Gretzky for the most goals in NHL history.

They also need to score some power play goals. Their power play is due for some. They are now dead last in the NHL in power play percentage at 7.0 percent. In all they’re just 3 for 43 in power play opportunities.

The power play doesn’t look much different on the first unit. But on the second unit they switched Sonny Milano for Anthony Mantha. I’m not saying Mantha is the answer. But maybe he’ll prove us all wrong with a PPG.

While the Capitals are second to last in the league in scoring overall, they’re scoring more goals than they have been to start the season. They now have 37 goals on the season. That’s 11 more than the last place San Jose Sharks. If the offense can score three or more goals on Wednesday, they have a good chance of winning.