The Capitals have finally put an agonizing eight-game losing streak behind them. With two wins in a row, now things appear back to normal for last year’s Presidents’ Trophy winners.
But two games are still not enough to say the bad spell is over for good. Thursday night’s game against arch rival Pittsburgh Penguins at Verizon Center gives Washington the perfect chance to know for sure.
“It’s a good test for us just the way things have been going the last little bit,” said Caps defenseman Karl Alzner, whose team is 2-6-2 over its last 10 games. “It’ll be nice to see where we’re at now — if we are back or if we’re just getting lucky. But I think we’re starting to play a more complete game.”
Washington rallied from two goals down to beat Ottawa on Sunday. Then, Tuesday they thumped the woeful New Jersey Devils, 5-1. Neither opponent is close to a playoff position in the Eastern Conference so a game against the Penguins is a huge leap in competition.
| Caps notes |
| » Washington defenseman Tom Poti did not practice on Wednesday. Bruce Boudreau called it a “maintenance” day. |
| » Pittsburgh star center Sidney Crosby had a career-best 22-game point streak entering Thursday night’s game at Verizon Center. |
| » Expect Caps goalie Michal Neuvirth to start for the fourth game in a row. He has stopped 77 of the last 83 shots on goal. |
“We think we’ve made progress the last couple of days,” Caps forward Mike Knuble said. “But this is a chance to see how much progress we’ve made.”
It is the first meeting of the season with Pittsburgh and the start of 10 days of hype leading towards the NHL’s Winter Classic — the annual outdoor game set for Heinz Field on New Year’s Day. Before that game, though, Thursday’s contest will be the most anticipated of the year for Washington, which won all four games against the Penguins last season. The two teams are taking part in HBO’s behind-the-scenes “24/7” documentary — the second episode of four aired Wednesday night — and they have a long history of Stanley Cup playoff battles, including Pittsburgh’s classic seven-game series win in 2009. Any trouble getting excited for this one?
“It’s not hard,” Washington coach Bruce Boudreau said. “They’re a great team and we have a good rivalry against them. It’s one of the great things that HBO is going to catch — all of the talking [between players on the ice].”
Boudreau also acknowledged that his team isn’t out of the woods yet. Star forward Alex Ovechkin has just two goals in 18 games and the Caps have scored just five times in their last 42 power-play chances. For a unit that Boudreau has called his team’s “life blood” that has to change.
“Just play simple. That’s all we need,” said Ovechkin, who was moved in front of the net on the power play the last two games from his normal point position. “Just shoot the puck and crash the net and find the rebound. Right now we don’t get a pretty goal, but we’re still trying to do [that].”
