Washington Capitals

Washington Capitals

Epstein, Epstein, Epstein: President Trump declared Sunday night that Congress should vote to force him to release the government's files on his former friend, the deceased, disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein-he can't just do it himself?-saying he had "nothing to hide" after months of acting...very differently. ( Washington Post) Trump's order seems to have followed his realization that such a vote was about to happen anyway, as more than 100 Republicans were reportedly ready to vote for the files' release.

Friday, the Russian forward, who led Hershey in goals last season, skated for the first time since suffering an upper-body injury in mid-October. First spotted by Bears Hockey Nation, Miroshnichenko participated in Hershey's morning skate as evidenced by a photo the team published on social media. Miro, wearing a white #10 jersey, is on the bottom - third from the left.

The matchup marks the third game of the Caps' current four-game road trip, which will end Thursday against the Florida Panthers. According to The Washington Post's Bailey Johnson, the Capitals will go with virtually the same lineup as they did in their 3-2 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday, with the only change seeing Declan Chisholm coming in for Trevor van Riemsdyk. Logan Thompson will get his 11th start of the season.

But let's talk about where it went wrong in this one game - and no, it wasn't special teams (although they did fail to score on their single power play opportunity and gave up a goal on their one-and-change times shorthanded). Thanks to a nice goal by Brandon Duhaime early and some luck by way of a Tampa own goal in the second, this was a 2-2 tie heading into the final frame of regulation.

📸: RMNB After emphatically ending their four-game losing streak last night against the St. Louis Blues, the Washington Capitals are back in action 24 hours later to take on their biggest rival: the Pittsburgh Penguins. The matchup pits Alex Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby against each other for the 74th time in the regular season. Ovi enters the game hours after reaching the 900-goal milestone.

As director of hockey analytics, Barnes was instrumental in incorporating data-driven decision-making into the day-to-day processes of the hockey operations department, overseeing the development of player valuation systems, trader tools for management, predictive frameworks for roster portfolio term risk, and technology to convert the insights of hockey operations management, scouts, and coaches into actionable metrics," the Capitals' description of Barnes' previous role reads.

The Caps' losing streak hit four games over the weekend, the power play has more questions than answers and more in today's clips. Your savory breakfast links: A few leftovers from Saturday's shootout loss to the Buffalo Sabres. [RMNB] The Washington Capitals' losing streak hit four games this weekend, a sharp contrast to last season's vibes. [WaPo ($)] What in the world is going on with the Caps? [THN]

The Caps take a quick trip to Dallas for their part of Frozen Frenzy, the youngest Cap gets a chance to make history with the oldest, and more in today's Caps Clips. Your savory breakfast links: Previews of tonight's two-step deep in the heart of Texas from Vogs, Dallas Morning News, and AP, and be sure to swing by our pals over at Defending Big D for the view from behind enemy lines.

Despite a free-flowing, ultra-fast-paced first period, neither team got on the board. After also playing most of the second period scoreless, John Carlson finally blasted the Capitals into the lead with 1:41 remaining on the clock. Alex Ovechkin pumped his second of the season home from another offensive-zone faceoff. Justin Sourdif picked up his first Capitals goal just over a minute later.

The Caps shake off the Jackets and return home to face the Sens, Pro looks to build on last year's success and more in today's Caps Clips.