Game #77
Caps (49-15-12, 110 points) vs. Atlanta Thrashers (34-31-12, 80 points)
Will the Caps ever win again? Oh, sorry. Went into Wizards/Nats mode there for a second. The District’s hockey team – nursing a rare three-game losing streak – continues its quest for 50 victories when it plays the Thrashers tonight at Verizon Center. And yes, two of those recent losses came in overtime so the team still managed a couple of points out of the whole thing. The Caps still don’t feel great right now.
Looks like rookie defenseman John Carlson is out with an upper-body injury. Other scratches are Brendan Morrison (lower-body), Tyler Sloan, Scott Walker (knee), Boyd Gordon (back) and Quintin Laing (lower body). Rookie goalie Semyon Varlamov is in goal. Consider this a big night for the young Russian, still trying to find his post-Olympic break form.
Another issue is that the Caps can help determine their own playoff opponent. The top five spots in the Eastern Conference are just about spoken for. Ottawa, who we saw Tuesday at Verizon Center, is seven points clear at No. 5 entering tonight’s games and should clinch its playoff spot this weekend. But Philadelphia (38-32-6), Boston (35-29-12) and Montreal (37-32-8) are all tied with 82 points for the last three spots. Boston (home against Florida tonight) and Philadelphia (on the road at the New York Islanders) have played 76 games. The Canadiens are up to 77 and fading.
Atlanta is right behind at 80 points, but really needs a win because it will have just four games left to go. Bruce Boudreau, obviously, wants a victory tonight and for his own team to get back on track. But you know part of him will be sick for good friend John Anderson, coach of the Thrashers. No sympathy in pro sports, though. The two teams meet again in Washington next Friday. We’ll see if Atlanta is still alive then. It would be a great story after the trade of star forward Ilya Kovalchuk in early February.
