GDT #29 Caps vs Sabres W 4-2

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December 14 vs Sabres at Capital One Arena
Time: 7:00
TV: Monumental Sports
Radio: 106.7 FM, Caps Radio 24/7

Washington Capitals 20-6-2
PP% 20.9(17th)  PK% 83.5(5th)  Faceoff% 50.4(17th)
Buffalo Sabres 11-14-4
PP% 14.1(30th)  PK% 80.7(14th)  Faceoff% 49.3(21st)

Caps anticipated lines:
McMichael 24 - Strome(A) 17 - Raddysh 16
Protas 21 - Dubois 80 - Wilson(A) 43
Lapierre 29 - Eller 20 - Mangiapane 88
Duhaime 22 - Dowd 26 - Miroshnichenko 63

Fehervary 42 - Carlson(A) 74
Sandin 38 - Roy 3
Chychrun 6 - van Riemsdyk 57

Thompson 48
Lindgren 79 - backup

PP1: Strome, Wilson, McMichael, Chychrun, Carlson
PP2: Dubois, Raddysh, Mangiapane, Miroshnichenko, Sandin

scratched:
Vrana 13
Alexeyev 27
McIlrath 52

IR:
Ovechkin(C) 8 - lower body

LTIR:
Milano 15 - upper body
Backstrom 19 - hip - season
Oshie 77 - lower back - season

Sabres anticipated lines:
Peterka 77 - Thompson 72 - Tuch 89
Benson 9 - Kulich 20 - Cozens 24
Greenway 12 - McLeod 71 - Zucker 16
Malenstyn 29 - Krebs 19 - Aubé-Kubel 96

Johnson 33 - Byram 4
Samuelsson 23 - Power 25
Gilbert 8 - Clifton 75

Luukkonen 1
Reimer 47 - backup

tonight’s zebras:
Mitch Dunning 20, TJ Luxmore 21
Derek Nansen 70, Kilian McNamara 93

https://scoutingtherefs.com/2024/12/46591/todays-nhl-referees-and-linespersons-12-14-24/

https://www.nhl.com/capitals/news/caps-tangle-with-sabres

https://www.nhl.com/capitals/news/skate-shavings-news-and-notes-from-caps-morning-skate-x6206

scoring summary
1st period:
Zucker from Greenway and McLeod at 1:36
Wilson(12) PPG from Carlson and McMichael at 17:09
2nd period:
Wilson(13) PPG from Chychrun at 5:11
Kulich from Byram and Thompson at 7:24
3rd period:
Strome(19) from Carlson and Raddysh at 11:05
Chychrun(9) ENG from Carlson and Dubois at 18:30

Caps win 4-2

[richkrt99]

Oh Lahwdy...not another Trap game, and this one at HOME! 

Wake up LIL!

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New Jersey won this afternoon, they are now 1st in the metro. The Caps could fix that tonight.

[richkrt99]

New Jersey won this afternoon, they are now 1st in the metro. The Caps could fix that tonight.

True Dat, but NJ has played 5 more games than the Caps too.

[BlackIce]

New Jersey won this afternoon, they are now 1st in the metro. The Caps could fix that tonight.

   


Meaningless though, because the Caps have 5, count 'em 5, games in hand on NJ.     


It may be time to start reconsidering our preconceptions about this team, with 1/3 of the season over and a significant stretch of games without Ovechkin behind us.


The team seems to have improved two glaring team weaknesses:  They have pulled into the middle of the pack in PP% and face-off%, so they aren't getting overmatched in those areas as they were previously.  And my (and perhaps others') thinking about our goaltending may have to be rethought.  I have considered our goaltending as "eh, OK" but not really top-drawer, and it was a reason I was questioning whether we ought to push to add to the team to try to give us a better chance for a deep playoff run.   But at this point in the season we are 5th in the league in fewest goals allowed, and our team save % of .904 is 7th in the league, and only slightly less than the .913 that leads the league.  Scoring is up in the league, I think because of a combination of rules and goalie equipment changes, and so it appears that our goaltending, at least at this point, IS plenty good enough that it may not be a drawback at all in the playoffs.  And I don't think there is any question at all that we lead the league in goaltender VALUE; i.e., performance relative to cap cost of our goaltending.

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[Mickstix]

GOD DAMMIT, WAKE UP MICK!!! Fn' TRAP GAME WARNING AGAIN!!


Lil, time to get up..   


 

[Surreylily]

Morning.     

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PP time

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PP GOOOAAALLLL

WILSON

[Rey Capalpatine]

Goal for the good guys!

[Surreylily]

 



 

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1-1 after one

[Mickstix]

Evenin' Lil.

Nice deflection Willy!


I was distracted earlier. What was the honor/celebration for, pre puck drop?

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nother pp

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Evenin' Lil.

Nice deflection Willy!


I was distracted earlier. What was the honor/celebration for, pre puck drop?

Part of the 50th anniversary thing this season

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PP GOOOAAALLLL

WILSON

[Rey Capalpatine]

Wilson is running wild babies!!!

[Surreylily]

 

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Fever with a fight