Caps Game Night – at Bruins, 12/18/10

Where » TD Garden

When » 7 p.m.

TV » CSN+

Radio » WFED-1500 AM

The Caps begin a brief two-game road trip with their final game of the season against the Bruins tonight. Both teams need a win. Washington has lost seven in a row with just two standings points earned during that 0-5-2 stretch. Four of those games have been one-goal setbacks. Boston has lost three in a row with just one standings point thanks to a 2-1 overtime loss to Eastern Conference-leading Philadelphia (22-7-5, 49 points) on Dec. 11.  

Now is when the losing streak gets serious for the Caps. Atlanta (17-11-5, 39 points) is just one point behind in the Southeast Division. Meanwhile, Tampa Bay (17-10-4, 38 points) has two games in hand and is just two points behind. There is a gap between the eight playoff teams in the Eastern Conference and No. 9 Carolina (14-12-4, 32 points). But no way did Washington think it would be in that final spot well into the season. Lose two more this weekend and it probably will be. The Caps’ last winless streak of this length was an 0-6-3 skid late in the 2006-07 season.

According to both the Washington Post’s Katie Carrera and Caps senior writer Mike Vogel, it will be Michal Neuvirth in goal tonight. He has seen Boston two times already this season – a 3-1 loss on Oct. 19 and a 5-3 win on Nov. 5. But Neuvirth wasn’t around for the end of either game. He was pulled after the first period of the first one thanks to an illness. And he gave up three goals in the first 9 minutes, 51 seconds of the third period in that second game as Washington coughed up a 3-0 lead. It would win it anyway, 5-3, as rookie Braden Holtby took over. 

Caps have scored just nine times in the last seven games. Goals will be at a premium again with Tim Thomas in net for Boston, according to Carrera and Vogel. Thomas leads the NHL in goals-against average (1.63), shutouts (five) and save percentage (.951). He is 14-3-3 overall, stopping 75 of 77 shots in back-to-back wins over Washington in October. But he was chased along with Neuvirth in the 5-3 loss at Verizon Center on Nov. 5. 

If the Caps want to put a few past Thomas then it’s past time to take advantage on the power play. They are a woeful 3-for-28 (10.7%) during the losing streak and it directly cost them a game against Florida after an 0-for-8 performance. That unit still ranks eighth in the NHL, though, at 21.2% so the firepower is there. No team in the league allows fewer goals per game than the Bruins (2.0), who also rank third on the penalty kill (86.1%).

Follow me on Twitter @bmcnally14