Wouldn’t it be cool if they could always wear these? (Caps Outsider)
The Buffalo Sabres are in town and the Capitals hope to get positive results against one of the worst teams in the league, and bounce back after an ugly loss against the Minnesota Wild on Thursday.
Washington suffered a disappointing loss to the Wild after allowing two late goals in the third period. It was one of the few times this season that the Caps have scored first and lost. Alexander Ovechkin was a late scratch, nursing a lower-body injury. After a Curtis Glencross PP goal in the first three minutes of the games, the Caps seemed to do just enough to not allow a Minnesota goal. They held on to the lead until the third when Jason Chimera watched Jason Pominville score from his knees. Not long after, Mike Green got too cute in the Caps’ zone which led to a turnover and subsequent goal. With a little more than minutes left in the 3rd period, the Caps lined up in the offensive zone with Braden Holtby on the bench and an extra attacker. They blistered Dubynk with shots but they were unsuccessful and the game was basically over when Brouwer was whistled for goaltender interference (embellishment *cough* embellishment *cough*). Holtby was stellar in net as usual, the Swedish line of Andre Burakovsky, Nicklas Backstrom, and Marcus Johansson were the best line on the ice, and the PK unit was very solid. Ultimately, a lack of scoring, flat play, and untimely mistakes hurt the Caps.
Saturday night, Washington will most likely miss the services of their captain again. Alex Prewitt of the Washington Post reported on Twitter that Ovechkin was one of the first on the ice for warmups before practice and left the ice after delivering a powerful one timer into the net. Coach Trotz said the Ovechkin felt a little pain and decided not to continue to practice. Trotz said that Ovechkin will probably not play tomorrow because of the four day rest before the next important game against the New York Rangers on Wednesday. Michael Latta was also not on the ice after his injury on Tuesday but he will be in the lineup sometime next week according to Trotz. Tomorrow, the lineups should be the same as on Thursday, although Justin Peters might make a rare appearance in net. Here are the projected lineups:
Andre Burakovsky – Nicklas Backstrom – Marcus Johansson (All Swedes!)
Curtis Glencross – Jay Beagle – Troy Brouwer
Jason Chimera – Eric Fehr – Joel Ward
Brooks Laich – Evgeny Kuznetsov – Tom Wilson
Brooks Orik – John Carlson
Karl Alzner – Matt Niskanen
Tim Gleason – Mike Green
Justin Peters
Keys for success: Washington will need to come out hard and fast. They cannot afford a sluggish start which has plagued the team in some key losses throughout this season. The Caps have been very good on the PP, earning a PPG in the last 3 games straight, and scoring a PPG will certainly give the team some confidence. Secondary scoring is a must, without Ovechkin in the lineup, every forward has to try and put one in the net. Late penalties have killed Washington this season, the Caps must play smart, and avoid unnecessary penalties like Chimera’s obvious hook in the 3rd period on Thursday. Finally, the Caps need to remain positive and confident in their play, especially playing at home in the Verizon Center.
The Caps cannot afford to take the Sabres for granted. While Buffalo may have the worst record in the NHL, the Caps have struggled against this team in the past. Washington must put the Wild game behind them and look to start a winning streak during their five game homestead.
