They, like Carolina, have cap space for the future. They've got a lot of prospects, and they've got their draft picks. So for Washington, it's not really about this year. Like, they'd like to get in [the playoffs], obviously. But whatever available talent they could add in their top six, it's about this year and the future. So they're in on a bunch of different things. They'd like to make a splash.
Pierre-Luc Dubois will play for the first time since October after core surgery. Logan Thompson is also back after missing the last four due to an upper-body injury. He'll start in goal and oppose the Predators' Justus Annunen on the other side. Puck drop for today's game is scheduled for a little after 7:00 pm. Today's game is on Monumental Sports Network. Joe Beninati and Craig Laughlin have the call.
📸: Alan Dobbins/RMNB While the Washington Capitals are getting two major players back from injury, they'll be without one of their depth forwards against the Nashville Predators. Sonny Milano missed the team's morning skate and will not be available to play. Carbery revealed the news after being asked about Milano by NHL.com's Tom Gulitti. Tom Gulitti: I know it was an optional, but Sonny wasn't out there. Is he okay? Spencer Carbery: He's okay.... He's a....Yeah, he's okay.
Against one of the typically top five-on-five teams in the NHL, the Capitals put together what was one of their best games of the season. While that may be hard to believe considering they were down 3-0 at one point in the game, the Caps were never behind the eight ball analytically throughout regulation, finishing on top in shot attempts 64-48, shots on goal 33-20, scoring chances 33-18, high-danger chances 16-8, and expected goals 3.8-2.28.
After a pretty brutal road trip (that at least had a decent ending), the NHL schedulers didn't give the Caps any breaks, hitting them with a Saturday night bout against the Carolina Hurricanes as a "welcome home" present. That's a tough task on any night; on this night, the Caps went into it minus both their goalies, half of their top-four defensemen, and Connor McMichael.
Previews of the final game of the road trip from hell from Vogs and AP. Y'all...this trip is brutal. Leftovers from that loss in Seattle, if you can stomach 'em. [WaPo, RMNB] Need some good news? The Caps' Pride Night auction raised over $30K for the Wanda Alston Foundation, plus another $5K from Giant and over $10K from the evening's 50-50 raffle. [Caps]
