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GDT #81 Predators @ Capitals 2018-04-05 7:00pm EST NBCSWA
ArJunaZ:
Thu. April 5 Nashville Predators @ Washington Capitals
Place: Capital One Arena
Time: 7:00 p.m.
TV: NBCSWA, FS-TN
Radio: 106.7 The Fan, Capitals Radio 24/7
NHL.COM for Live Box Score
Nashville Predators 113-51-18-11 Last Game: Apr 03 Lost 2-1 Against Panthers
Washington Capitals 103-48-25-7 Last Game: Apr 02 Won 4-2 Against Blues
8-Ovechkin 92-Kuznetsov 43-Wilson
65-Burakovsky 19-Bäckström 77-Oshie
10-Connolly 20-Eller 25-Smith-Pelly
18-Stephenson 72-Boyd 39-Chiasson
6-Kempny 74-Carlson
9-Orlov 2-Niskanen
44-Orpik 29-Djoos
31-Grubauer (starter)
70-Holtby
-- SCRATCH --
63-Gersich
13-Vrana
64-Pinho
83-Beagle (upper body)
28-Jerabek
-- INJURED RESERVE --
-- 1st Powerplay Unit --
77-Oshie 19-Bäckström 92-Kuznetsov
8-Ovechkin 74-Carlson
-- 2nd Powerplay Unit --
13-Vrana 20-Eller 65-Burakovsky
2-Niskanen 9-Orlov
Referees: Wes McCauley (#4), Jake Brenk (#26)
Linesmen: Steve Barton (#59), Steve Miller (#89)
by Isabelle Khurshudyan April 5 at 12:51 PM
After maintenance day, Capitals won’t rest Alex Ovechkin
Alex Ovechkin will play Thursday night. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
The sight of Alex Ovechkin down on the ice after losing an edge and colliding awkwardly into the boards Monday night was a scary one for the Washington Capitals, just two games away from the playoffs with the Metropolitan Division clinched. Ovechkin didn’t miss a shift for the rest of the game against the St. Louis Blues, but when he skated before practice on Wednesday, Coach Barry Trotz noticed how tentatively he was moving.
Ovechkin didn’t practice, taking a “maintenance day,” but he was back on the ice Thursday morning and he’ll be in the lineup against the Nashville Predators. Trotz acknowledged that the Capitals have considered resting Ovechkin for these final two regular-season games, especially with no playoff positioning at stake in them, but Ovechkin insisted he feels “pretty good” and wants to play.
[ Rotating goalies has rarely worked in the NHL playoffs, but Caps will consider it ]
“It’s always scary when you hit the boards and you can’t protect yourself,” Ovechkin said. “But, obviously, I got lucky over there and it can be much worse. But I feel pretty good. Nothing big happened. … I just want to play. If it was a situation when it would be risky I would probably stay out of the game, but I feel pretty good. I talked to the trainers and they said everything’s fine.”
Washington may have nothing to play for, but Ovechkin does. With a league-leading 46 goals — two more than Winnipeg’s Patrik Laine — Ovechkin is poised to win the Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy for a seventh time, and he’s in pursuit of his eighth 50-goal campaign. Ovechkin has also played every game this season, one of three Capitals players expected to play all 82 contests, a meaningful achievement for NHLers.
“If you have a chance, why not?” Ovechkin said. “But if I didn’t feel right and I didn’t feel well, I don’t want to risk to don’t play in the playoffs. I don’t want to be selfish. I feel pretty good and nothing’s bothering me. I tried yesterday, I tried today and I told [Trotz], I’m ready.”
[ Training camp in April: Auditions still open for Capitals’ forward roles in playoffs ]
Center Jay Beagle was absent from the Capitals’ morning skate, and he’ll miss a second straight game with an undisclosed “upper-body” injury. Trotz said “right now,” he expects Beagle to be back before the playoffs. Rookie Travis Boyd will center the fourth line with Beagle out, and Trotz will continue experimenting with his bottom-six forward corps. He again paired winger Devante Smith-Pelly with third-line center Lars Eller while young wingers Jakub Vrana and Shane Gersich are both out of the lineup.
“We’re going to put Boyd in, and unfortunately Gersich comes out,” Trotz said. “I think I’ve got a good handle on Gers. Maybe we’ll see him in one more yet. We’re just trying to experiment a little bit. … I know [Vrana’s] game pretty good. I just told him, ‘We’re putting different people in there.’ I’ll probably see him in next game. We’re just trying to keep everybody going.”
OldHat:
An expeditious rendering of the anthem...
ArJunaZ:
Can some one text me if we score? ::)
dpf1971:
I really don't like watching Nashville play.
1. They tend to play how I'd like the Caps to play.
2. It reminds me how much I liked Latta and how disappointed I was he didn't turn out how I'd like him to have.
3. "The Trade"
4. How Nashville had to be patient one season for Forsberg to put up serious points and so many of our blue-chip draft picks turn out to be dudes (or close to it ... Bura, Bowey, Vrana)
alta:
this is pathetic, they are supposed to be professionals. They should still be playing for pride if nothing else. God forbid they start round 1 in the right frame of mind, you’d think this team would have learned that in the last 10 years
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