Caps (29-15-10, 68 points) vs. Sharks (28-19-6, 62 points
What » Game #55
Where » Verizon Center
When » 7 p.m.
TV » CSN HD
Radio » WFED-1500 AM
The two best teams during last year’s regular season have had their ups and downs in 2010-11. But both the Caps and the Sharks feel like they are on the right track now. Both sit as the No. 5 seed in their respective conferences. And maybe that takes away some of the pressure each club has faced in recent seasons entering the Stanley Cup playoffs. Check out our preview from the print edition this morning.
Washington defenseman Mike Green is indeed out, coach Bruce Boudreau confirmed during his 5 p.m. media chat. He said Green has not been diagnosed with a concussion and that he didn’t undergo any tests this afternoon. Those will be done tonight, instead. But Boudreau also reiterated what Green said this morning – that he feels fine despite taking a shot to the side of the head on Sunday. And that Green should be able to play on Saturday against the Los Angeles Kings.
Boudreau also denied that Green said he had “headaches” after the Pittsburgh game. He did say that he felt “unbalanced” and had ringing in his head immediately after the puck made contact with his head near the right ear. “With these things nowadays you just want to be overly cautious,” Boudreau said. “There’s still a lot of games and he’s such an important factor we don’t want to lose him for any length of time.”
The Sharks – like the Penguins and Lightning before them – are red hot at 7-0-1 over the last eight games. And their top line of Dany Heatley, Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau pose some different challenges. Their size, for one thing, is a problem for any defensive pair to deal with. That group has a combined 52 goals this season.
Meanwhile, as we wrote this morning, Alex Semin is back in after 12 games out of the lineup because of a groin injury. Jay Beagle has been returned to AHL Hershey, but with a roster spot open he could still be the man recalled to make the trip to the West Coast next week.
Follow me on Twitter @bmcnally14
