Caps Game Night – at Edmonton

Well, the weather isn’t much better across the continent. Edmonton got a foot of snow overnight and temperatures are headed towards 5 degrees by this evening. Then again – something tells me they’ll handle that a little better than we are back home in D.C. Caps have to shake off the 3-2 loss at Vancouver last night. It was a playoff atmosphere at GM Place with special teams the difference. The Canucks killed all four Washington power plays – and held the Caps to a single PP shot. Needless to say, that generated a good deal of momentum. Vancouver tied the game at 2 late in the second period and took advantage of a four-minute power play in the third. Defenseman Tom Poti earned that one for a cross-check (questionable) and an unsportsmanlike penalty (can’t judge the validity except that Poti has to keep his composure in that spot no matter what). Mason Raymond scored the game-tying and game-winning goals for the Canucks – though the last four minutes were pure chaos as Alex Semin was stopped on a penalty shot and Washington couldn’t beat goalie Roberto Luongo with an extra attacker on the ice. Fun game. A win tonight and this trip is an unqualified success. A point and you fly home content. A loss and it has to be disappointing – especially after looking so good in Colorado on Tuesday.

The Oilers were scuffling the first two months of the season. They were stuck at 10-13 before ripping off five wins in a row to start December. All of that work came on the road. But they returned home to snowy Alberta and promptly lost a pair of home games to Los Angeles and Nashville. It’s another Hockey Night in Canada appearance for the Caps, who have become a staple on national television up north. Caps lost to the Oilers at Verizon Center last January, 5-2. Washington’s last visit to Rexhall Centre was Oct. 28, 2006 – a 4-0 loss.

Looks like Quintin Laing (broken jaw) makes a return to the lineup after missing a little over a month. Pound-for-pound one of the toughest guys in the league. Defenseman Shaone Morrisonn (injury?) and John Erskine are the scratches. Rookie callup Kyle Wilson joins them. Boyd Gordon (back) still hurt, but making progress. Tyler Sloan returns to the lineup as a D-man along with Milan Jurcina. Michal Neuvirth starts in goal and tries to shake off a rough start last weekend in Toronto. Should be another good one as we get one more evening of late-night hockey.