Caps (30-19-10, 70 points) at Sabres (27-24-6, 60 points)
What » Game #60
Where » HSBC Arena
When » 12:30 p.m.
TV » NBC HD
Radio » WFED-1500 AM
The Caps actually caught a break despite a 1-2 record on their recent trip to the West Coast. No one behind them is having much success, either. So they remain four points ahead of No. 7 New York, six ahead of No. 8 Carolina and – most important – 10 ahead of Buffalo and Atlanta, who are in ninth and 10th place respectively. This afternoon’s game is a chance to push the Sabres even further behind and give Washington some more breathing room. The teams have split their two previous meetings and have one game left at Verizon Center after this. The Caps are done with the Thrashers, making it harder for either of those teams to jump ahead and push them completely out of a playoff position. Check out the preview for today’s game from our print edition this morning.
Semyon Varlamov gets the start in goal as he tries to recover from a poor first period against Anaheim on Wednesday. He was pulled from that game in favor of Michal Neuvirth. Defenseman Mike Green will miss his fifth game of six with the team remaining cautious about his head injury. If that’s the case it seems unlikely he’d play Monday against the Penguins, either. Otherwise, WashCaps.com‘s Mike Vogel and the Post’s Katie Carrera report from Buffalo that the line combinations and defensive pairings remain the same as the San Jose game.
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