Caps (3-0-0, 6 points) vs. Senators (1-3-0, 2 points)
What – Game #4
Where –Verizon Center
When – 7 p.m.
TV – CSN HD
Radio – WFED-1500 AM
There’s no overlooking anyone in the NHL. Yes, the Ottawa Senators were blasted by Colorado on Thursday, 7-1. And they are a pretty good bet to finish last in the Eastern Conference. But that doesn’t do the Caps much good if they drop tonight’s game at home. Washington was 3-1 against Ottawa last season, but two of those victories were by a single goal and the other was a 3-1 win on Jan. 16.
“In sports in general, if a team gets beat fairly bad the one night you know they all have the pride and they’re going to come back and they’re going to play twice as hard the next night,” Caps coach Bruce Boudreau said. “And so that’s what we anticipate. We’re looking for a very tough game.”
Alex Auld will reportedly play for the Senators in goal tonight. That’s the third backup goalie in five games that Washington has played against. Might want to stay out of the penalty box. Seriously. The Senators are 6-for-19 (31%) through five games. That’s tops in the NHL and with Sergei Gonchar, Daniel Alfredsson, Jason Spezza, Milan Michalek and Erik Karlsson there is some firepower there.
Boudreau said goalie Michal Neuvirth felt better after working for more than an hour on the ice. It was the first time he’d practiced in four days since sustaining an off-ice lower-body injury. Neuvirth was tentative at the beginning, as expected, before improving as he loosened up.
Boudreau said playing rugged forward D.J. King tonight – his first appearance in a game this season – was about Ottawa’s personnel and not in any way a reaction to the Arron Asham–Jay Beagle fight on Thursday in Pittsburgh.
The rest of the expected lineup tonight with Tomas Vokoun starting in goal for the third game in a row:
Ovechkin-Backstrom-Brouwer
Semin-Johansson-Knuble
Chimera-Laich-Ward
King-Halpern-Hendricks
Defensive pairs are Alzner/Carlson; Hamrlik/Green; Schultz/Wideman
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