Caps (29-18-10, 68 points) at Ducks (32-21-4, 68 points)
What » Game #58
Where » Honda Center
When » 10 p.m.
TV » CSN HD
Radio » WFED-1500 AM
After an off day in southern California, the Caps resume a difficult road trip with a game at the red hot Anaheim Ducks tonight. We’re now down to 25 games in the regular season and Washington’s place in the Eastern Conference standings is a bit precarious. Didn’t think that would be an issue this late in the season? Welcome to pro sports. Check out our preview from the print edition this morning.
Right now Washington is the No. 6 seed with 68 standings points – one behind No. 5 Montreal. It has a game in hand, though, and can jump the Habs with a win tonight. The No. 7-seeded New York Rangers are four points behind with an extra game played. Carolina is the No. 8 seed and is six points back while even in games played. The big one – No. 9 – is a tie between Buffalo and Atlanta, who are both at 60 and not in a playoff position. So you can start to see how a bad end to this road trip, which includes a game at Buffalo on Sunday, would put Washington in danger. Then again, three wins in a row and you might lead the Southeast Division.
So do they need a win tonight? Absolutely. As we saw in December, once a losing streak starts snowballing – especially for a team with such high expectations – the pressure mounts and it becomes harder and harder to snap out of it. The power play looked better on Monday against the Coyotes. The Caps moved the puck well, had sustained pressure and offensive-zone time and created some quality scoring chances. That hasn’t always been the case the last two-and-a-half months. Play like that and the goals should come. Revert to recent form and they won’t have a chance.
Defenseman Mike Green, who had a relapse of the affects from that puck to the head on Feb. 6, will not play tonight, the Post’s Katie Carrera reports from Anaheim. He missed one game, played against Los Angeles last weekend and then didn’t feel right after the flight to Phoenix and missed Monday’s game, too. Carrera says Green has an appointment with a specialist this afternoon. Washington recalled defenseman Patrick McNeill, 23, just in case, but he is not expected to play tonight. It would be his NHL debut if he did. Semyon Varlamov is in goal for the Caps, according to WashCaps.com’s Mike Vogel.
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