By all accounts the Atlanta Thrashers look finished in the NHL’s Eastern Conference playoff chase.
But don’t tell that to the Capitals, who can’t afford to overlook any opponent during the season’s final 11 games. Atlanta may be 1-6-4 in its last 11 outings. But it’s also the same team that beat the Caps twice last month. That alone will get Washington’s attention when the two teams meet at 7 tonight at Verizon Center.
“It doesn’t matter, quite frankly, if we’re playing a squirt team,” said Caps coach Bruce Boudreau, whose club is five points away from both the No. 8 playoff seed and the Southeast Division lead. “We’re playing a desperate team. We know Atlanta has beaten us twice in a row and we know when they want to play they’re a good team.”
The Thrashers (30-33-8, 68 points) are 3-2-1 against the Caps (33-30-8, 74 points) this season, including a 2-0 shutout win at Verizon Center on Feb. 2 and a 3-2 shootout victory on Feb. 13. They have a promising young goaltender in Kari Lehtonen (2.96 GAA, .912 save percentage) and the NHL’s top goal scorer this side of Alex Ovechkin in forward Ilya Kovalchuck (45 goals, 31 assists). In five games vs. the Caps this season, Kovalchuck has recorded three goals and five assists.
For the Caps, defenseman John Erskine logged just 5 minutes, 12 seconds of ice time during Wednesday’s 3-2 win over Calgary and left with an undisclosed injury. He was involved in a first-period fight with rugged Flames forward Eric Godard and is not expected to play against Atlanta.
In that case, Steve Eminger likely steps into the lineup and, according to Boudreau, defenseman Sami Lepisto could earn a recall from AHL affiliate Hershey.
Thrashers at Capitals
When » Tonight at 7
Where » Verizon Center
TV » Comcast SportsNet
Radio » 107.7 FM/1500 AM
