Caps (29-17-10, 68 points) at Coyotes (29-19-9, 67 points)
What » Game #57
Where » Jobing.com Arena
When » 8 p.m.
TV » VERSUS HD
Radio » WFED-1500 AM
The Caps hope to put two frustrating home losses behind them with the start of a five-game road trip. Maybe getting away from the District is a good thing for a team no longer a lock at the friendly confines of Verizon Center. Read more about that in our print preview of tonight’s game here.
According to the Post’s Katie Carrera and WashCaps.com’s Mike Vogel – both reporting from Phoenix – Michal Neuvirth is back in goal tonight. He gave up two goals against the Sharks last Tuesday, but kept his team in the game for the first 51 minutes before faltering. We’ll still likely see Semyon Varlamov sometime this week with back-to-back games against Anaheim and San Jose on Wednesday and Thursday.
Bruce Boudreau appears set to return to his most consistent lineup from earlier this season with Mike Knuble on the top line alongside Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom. The second line at practice on Sunday, according to the Post, was Brooks Laich, Marcus Johansson and Alex Semin. We’ll see how long those last.
The competition doesn’t get any easier for the Caps. Remember when they beat Tampa Bay, winner of six in a row, and Pittsburgh, which had won seven of eight? Then they played San Jose, which had also won seven of eight games, and the Kings, who beat Washington and Philadelphia on the road over the weekend to go 7-2 in their last nine games. San Jose has since dropped two games on its long East Coast road trip. But the next opponent, Anaheim, is 14-4 since Dec. 28.
The Ducks are now the No. 4 seed in the Western Conference and appear set to overtake Dallas for the top spot in the Pacific Division. Phoenix is No. 6, but could jump both of them for the Pacific lead by beating the Caps tonight. That’s how tight things are out west. San Jose is the No. 7 seed, but also just two points behind the leaders. Those are the stakes for the teams Washington will see this week. It could be its toughest tests of the season.
I’d advise the Caps to continue staying out of the penalty box on this road trip. Not sure how realistic that is. They’ve taken four penalties total in the last four games and that bit of good fortune isn’t likely to continue forever. Since Nov. 24 Washington has killed 107-of-121 short-handed situations (88.4%). That’s excellent. But if the Caps give Phoenix, Anaheim and San Jose five or six chances a night this week it won’t be a successful trip. The Coyotes’ power play converts at a 19.8% clip at home. The Ducks (23.7%) and Sharks (22.3%) rank third and fourth in the NHL overall. Washington is middle of the pack in minors taken with 225. That is 14th fewest in the league.
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