Game 16: 17-7-5-3 (PTS-W-L-OT)
Sunday November 11, 2018 Arizona Coyotes @ Washington Capitals
Place: Capital One Arena
Time: 5:00 p.m. ET
TV: NBCSWA, FS-A
Radio: 106.7 The Fan, Capitals Radio 24/7
NHL.COM for Live Box Score
Last Game: Fri November 9, Capitals Lost 2-1 against Blue Jackets
Next Game: Tue November 13, 8:00pm ET Capitals @ Wild
8-Ovechkin 19-Bäckström 77-Oshie
18-Stephenson 92-Kuznetsov 13-Vrana
10-Connolly 20-Eller 25-Smith-Pelly
65-Burakovsky 26-Dowd 72-Boyd
9-Orlov 74-Carlson
6-Kempny 2-Niskanen
29-Djoos 22-Bowey
70-Holtby (starter)
1-Copley
-- SCRATCH --
23-Jaskin
55-Ness
34-Siegenthaler
-- INJURED RESERVE --
44-Orpik [lower-body injury]
-- SUSPENDED --
43-Wilson (4 games left??)
-- 1st Powerplay Unit --
77-Oshie 19-Bäckström 92-Kuznetsov
8-Ovechkin 74-Carlson
-- 2nd Powerplay Unit --
13-Vrana 10-Connolly 20-Eller
2-Niskanen 9-Orlov
Referees: Tim Peel (#20), TJ Luxmore (#21)
Linesmen: Derek Amell (#75), Matt MacPherson (#83)
1st Period16:56 Coyotes PP GOAL Hinostroza, assists Strome & Panik 1-0 ARI
2nd Period11:57 Coyotes GOAL Panik, unassisted 2-0 ARI
12:41 GOAL 19-Bäckström, assists 8-Ovechkin & 22-Bowey 2-1 ARI
14:38 Coyotes PP GOAL Galchenyuk, assists Perlini & Ekman-Larsson 3-1 ARI
3rd Period18:28 Coyotes GOAL Stepan, assists Galchenyuk & Keller 4-1 ARI
FINAL: 4-1 ARI
By Isabelle Khurshudyan November 11 at 9:31 AM
Capitals mailbag: When will Tom Wilson’s suspension appeal be resolved?
Expect a decision next week on Tom Wilson's suspension appeal to a neutral arbitrator. He was suspended 20 games on Oct. 3 for an illegal check to the head. (AP Photo/Nick Wass, File)
Through 15 games, the Capitals are 7-5-3, and while they’ve been playing better of late, Coach Todd Reirden said he would describe the start to the season as “inconsistent.” In this edition of the mailbag, readers ask when there will be a resolution to forward Tom Wilson’s appeal of his 20-game suspension for an illegal check to the head and where he’ll plug into the lineup when he is eligible again. We also examine the team’s play as it approaches the end of the first quarter of the season, when we might see a Alex Ovechkin-Nicklas Backstrom-T.J. Oshie line again and defenseman Dmitry Orlov’s start to the season.
Wilson was suspended 20 games by the NHL Department of Player Safety on Oct. 3, so his appeal has now dragged on for nearly six weeks, understandably frustrating Capitals fans. After NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman upheld the suspension on Oct. 25, Wilson had a second appeal hearing with neutral arbitrator Shyam Das on Oct. 31, so a decision is expected sometime this week. It took Das 15 days to reduce the suspension to Nashville forward Austin Watson, so it’s not taking unusually long. Perhaps unfairly to players, the process is designed to take a long time; when Dennis Wideman got his suspension for abuse of an official reduced from 20 games to 10, he had already sat out for 18 games. Wilson will miss his 16th game on Monday, and the 21st game of the season will be on Nov. 21 against Chicago.
I expect him to play as soon as he’s able, and considering the Capitals have struggled to fill his first-line right wing role in his absence, I would think he’ll plug right into the top six. He’s more than behind in game action, but unlike players who miss time with an injury, Wilson has been able to skate and train during these six weeks. It might take him a couple games to be as sharp as some of his teammates, but he hasn’t missed this much playing time in four years. He’ll be shot out of a cannon for that first game back, and depending on the lineup configurations at the time, I could see him immediately returning to his place opposite Ovechkin.
Washington has tried five different wingers with Ovechkin and center Evgeny Kuznetsov, and that top line has either been too defensively vulnerable, or it’s struggled to produce at even strength. It’s possible Ovechkin and Kuznetsov will be split by the time Wilson’s suspension is over, but he’s also had success complementing Ovechkin and Backstrom.
Read more on the Capitals:Capitals’ John Carlson returns to practice, could play vs. Coyotes Playing with Alex Ovechkin and Evgeny Kuznetsov should be easy, right? It’s not. Here’s why.‘No room for hate’: Caps’ raffle winner donates $19,000 jackpot to Pittsburgh Jewish community
