Monday night was a fun one, as Ovi and Samsonov led the Caps to a 2-0 victory over the Hurricanes. Ovi’s two goals gave him sole possession of 11th place on the NHL’s all time goal scoring list. The shutout was also the first of Samsonov’s career.
The Devil’s played Tuesday night in what was a 7-4 beat down by the Leafs. Don’t let those 4 goals fool you, virtually all of them came in garbage time. The Leafs had a 6-1 lead with 10 minutes remaining in the 3rd.
Storylines:
Samsonov to Start Again
Wednesday afternoon it was announced that Samsonov will be in goal for the Caps.
This is the first time in his career he has gotten back-to-back starts. On Monday, Samsonov recorded his first career shutout, getting 23 saves on 23 shots. Additionally, he has not given up a goal in over 114 minutes of ice time, going back to the goal early in the first against the Senators last week.
Nicklas Backstrom Re-Signs
The big news of the week was obviously that the Caps re-signed forward Nicklas Backstrom to a 5 year, $46 Million contract extension, essentially guaranteeing he will retire as a Capital. Much like Ovechkin, he has not shown any signs of slowing, as he currently is on pace to net 55 assists.
All-Star Break
With Oshie, Carlson, and Holtby all playing in the all-star game, and Reirden Coaching, the Caps will be well represented. But the obvious question on everyone’s mind is when will Ovi serve his suspension for skipping an exhibition game? While no conclusions have been reached, there is some speculation that Ovi will play Saturday, and skip the teams’ first game after the All-Star break, which is Monday, the 29th, against the Canadiens.
Bold Predictions
Last game, I was 1/3 on bold predictions, correctly predicting a Caps PPG (only bold in light of recent struggles), but I whiffed on Vrana scoring, and the final score. In my defense, who would have predicted a game involving the Caps and Hurricanes would only have two goals?
At least 4 different Caps will score tonight
The Devils are one of the worst teams in the league, and last Saturday, the Caps let them come into their building and walk all over them. Don’t expect it to happen again. The Caps are going to be firing on all cylinders. Tonight is going to be a night for some diverse scoring. It wouldn’t surprise me if we see some goals from bottom six guys who haven’t gotten on the board in a while. (This season, the Caps have had 4+ scorers in just 36% of games, including once against the Devils).
A fight will occur tonight
According to hockeyfights.com it’s been about two weeks since the last time the Caps got into a fight, when Jonas Siegenthaler got mauled by Nick Foligno, and before that it was against the team the Caps are taking on tonight. The Devils and Caps are both tied with two other teams for 6th most fights in the league with 11 apiece. If tonight is the blowout I think we all expect it to be, I think we could see some sparks fly.
Final Score: 6-1 Caps
Fun Stuff
Today marks the 14th anniversary of the greatest goal in NHL History.
In what might have been a meaningless January game between two sub .500 teams, Alexander Ovechkin scored the most amazing goal ever scored in the NHL, while the greatest player the game has ever known watched.
Caps’ Birthdays
Stephen Leach was born on January 16th, 1966. He was drafted in 1984 by Washington, and spent the first 6 years of his career here. In 246 games with the Caps he scored 43 goals. He went on to play for 6 other teams in the NHL, before retiring in 2000.
Chirpin' DMV 