GDT#42 Blues @ Capitals 2018-01-07 3pm EST NBCSPW

[ArJunaZ]

                         

                 Sun. Jan. 07   St. Louis Blues @ Washington Capitals
                 Place:  Capital One Arena
                 Time: 3:00 p.m.
                 TV: NBC Sports Washington, SN1, SNE, SNO, SNP, FS-MW
                 Radio: 106.7 The Fan, Capitals Radio 24/7
                 St. Louis Blues                      43-18-13-7   Last Game: Lost 3-6 against Flyers
                 Washington Capitals            53-25-13-3  Last Game: Won 5-4 against Hurricanes

                             

                    8-Ovechkin         19-Bäckström        77-Oshie
                  13-Vrana              92-Kuznetsov        43-Wilson
                  10-Connolly         20-Eller                  25-Smith-Pelly
                  65-Burakovsky    83-Beagle               39-Chaisson   

                            29-Djoos              74-Carlson
                              9-Orlov                 2-Niskanen
                               44-Orpik              22-Bowey
 
                                   70-Holtby (starter)
                                    31-Grubauer


                                  -- SCRATCH --
                                   18-Stephenson
                                    4-Chorney
                                   
                                 -- INJURED --


                           -- 1st Powerplay Unit --
             77-Oshie            19-Bäckström     92-Kuznetsov
                        8-Ovechkin           74-Carlson
                               
                          -- 2nd Powerplay Unit --
            39-Chaisson         20-Eller            13-Vrana
                      2-Niskanen             9-Orlov
       

               Referees:  Kyle Rehman (#10)  Francis Charron (#6)
               Linesmen:  James Tobias (#61),  Tim Nowak (#77)






1st Period
13:15  PP GOAL 10-Connolly, assists 8-Ovechkin & 74-Carlson   1-0 WSH

2nd Period
01:18  Blues GOAL Tarasenko   1-1 TIE
05:02  Blues PP GOAL Steen   2-1 STL

3rd Period
08:00  PP GOAL 8-Ovechkin, assists 74-Carlson & 19-Bäckström   2-2 TIE
10:49  GOAL 20-Eller, assists 77-Oshie & 22-Bowey   3-2 WSH
15:51  Blues GOAL Gunnarsson   3-3 TIE

OT
04:17  GOAL 19-Bäckström, assist 77-Oshie   4-3 WSH

FINAL:    4-3 WSH



 


By Ben Raby  January 4

Five things we’ve learned about the Capitals through the midpoint of the season


Alex Ovechkin and the Capitals faced modest expectations this year but are back at the top of the Metro division. (John McDonnell/The Washington Post)

Washington hit the midpoint of its season in a familiar spot — in sole possession of first place in the Metropolitan Division. But the path to the division lead has been different than in past years. With six regulars leaving the Caps in the offseason, they started the season with modest expectations. Here’s what we’ve learned about the team through the first 41 games. Alex Ovechkin still has it
Alex Ovechkin’s overtime game-winner Tuesday in Carolina was the perfect way to cap one of the best first halves of his career. A season after Washington’s captain was held to 33 goals over 82 games, he already has racked up a league-best 26 tallies through 41 games. Ovechkin, 32, is on pace for his eighth 50-goal campaign and could become the NHL’s oldest goal-scoring leader in 43 years. He has been especially efficient at even-strength. His 19 goals in five-on-five play are three more than he had all of last season.
   
  [Ovechkin tops fan voting, named captain for NHL’s All-Star Game]

Tom Wilson is taking the next step
Since taking Tom Wilson in the first round of the 2012 draft, the Capitals have envisioned the 6-foot-4, 218-pound right winger as a top-six forward. Now in his fifth season, Wilson has filled that role by taking advantage of opportunities created by the departures of Justin Williams and Marcus Johansson and an early-season injury to Andre Burakovsky. Wilson recently spent 17 games on the No. 1 line with Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom, and the Caps went 12-2-3 over that stretch. With six goals this season, Wilson is one shy of matching his single-season high.

The kids are alright
The Capitals had very little space under the salary cap this season, so the team had to rely on rookies to develop rather than fill their spots with expensive veterans. Winger Jakub Vrana, center Chandler Stephenson and defensemen Madison Bowey and Christian Djoos have all emerged as fixtures in the lineup. Vrana, above, ranks fourth on the team with 10 goals. Djoos had a goal and an assist in a win over New Jersey last Saturday that moved the Capitals into first place. The class could become the first quartet of Capitals rookies to play at least 50 games in the same season since 1981-82.

  [Madison Bowey’s learning curve could determine Capitals’ trade deadline plans]

John Carlson is surging in contract year
With free agency pending, defenseman John Carlson has picked a fitting time to enjoy a career year. The timing has been ideal for the Capitals, too, after Karl Alzner, Kevin Shattenkirk and Nate Schmidt left in the offseason. An early-season injury to No. 1 defenseman Matt Niskanen created another gap. Carlson, 27, has skated a career-high 26:20 per game. He led the team in ice time in all 13 games that Niskanen missed from Oct. 14 to Nov. 12. Through 41 games, Carlson ranks second among all defensemen with 31 points, trailing only John Klingberg of the Stars, who has 35.

  [John Carlson’s timely career year could cost the Capitals big time]

Offseason bargains are working out
A tight budget forced general manager Brian MacLellan to go bargain hunting in the offseason. He signed wingers Alex Chiasson and Devante Smith-Pelly to one-year deals for $600,000 and $650,000 respectively. Both of them scored in Tuesday’s 5-4 overtime win over the Hurricanes, and both have been key contributors throughout the season. Chiasson has seven goals and nine points this season while ranking second among Capitals forwards in shorthanded ice time. Smith-Pelly, above, has played on the No. 1 line and has already exceeded his totals from last season with six goals and 13 points.

  [Devante Smith-Pelly has evolved from question mark to unexpected bargain for the Capitals]

[alta]

holy crap, an actual Caps game

[ArJunaZ]

Here's where Washington Hockey has been this past week.

[ArJunaZ]

Alright!    First PP for us.   Time to take the lead.

[ArJunaZ]

OK, second PP.  Time to take the lead.
Shoot the puck boys!

Where is everyone?

[ArJunaZ]

What a skillful deflection in mid air.

[dpf1971]

OK People.... I am here.  Let there be calm, I did NOT freeze walking home from work these past 2 mornings.

[dpf1971]

But Holy Shit .... I don't feel ..right.  I think I froze parts of my lungs   :o

[ArJunaZ]

OK People.... I am here.  Let there be calm, I did NOT freeze walking home from work these past 2 mornings.

Howdy!  Yeah, this weather is nuts.  That global warming is a bitch. 

[dpf1971]

See, even May is getting tired of Burakovsky not picking up on the crap he's been told to do to improve his game/stats.

[ArJunaZ]

Pretty good 1st period.  We need an even stronger effort in the next frame to keep the Blues in the blues.

Glad to see the break has not turned them all into useless klutzes. This is a somewhat different team than we're used to.

[dpf1971]

OK People.... I am here.  Let there be calm, I did NOT freeze walking home from work these past 2 mornings.

Howdy!  Yeah, this weather is nuts.  That global warming is a bitch. 

It sure was never this cold when i was a kid and I'm not that old.  Makes me want to throat punch all of the scum down in DC that walk around saying climate change isn't real because they've sold their vote to the highest bidder. One of the few groups of humans I hate more than the Pens and their fans.

[ArJunaZ]

OK People.... I am here.  Let there be calm, I did NOT freeze walking home from work these past 2 mornings.

Howdy!  Yeah, this weather is nuts.  That global warming is a bitch. 

It sure was never this cold when i was a kid and I'm not that old.  Makes me want to throat punch all of the scum down in DC that walk around saying climate change isn't real because they've sold their vote to the highest bidder. One of the few groups of humans I hate more than the Pens and their fans.

I used to go camping for two weeks every year in Jan-Mar time frame in the `80s and `90s.  I have seen this and much colder around here.  I camped without a tent in West Virginia on one of these trips and on the radio one night I heard it was -32°F without wind chill factor in a nearby town.  This is really not that bad and I've seen sub 0°F quite a few times in the DC area since I moved here in 1975.

[Maacoshark]

OK People.... I am here.  Let there be calm, I did NOT freeze walking home from work these past 2 mornings.

Howdy!  Yeah, this weather is nuts.  That global warming is a bitch. 

    How cold is it there?

[ArJunaZ]

OK People.... I am here.  Let there be calm, I did NOT freeze walking home from work these past 2 mornings.

Howdy!  Yeah, this weather is nuts.  That global warming is a bitch. 

    How cold is it there?

Right now it's a balmy 22°F or -5°C

[Maacoshark]

That is a heat wave.

[Maacoshark]

Some weak defensive zone coverage in this period.

[washcapsfan]

We haven't played in a week, and they are playing 3 in 4 days.. Same pass, pass, pass bullshit. Turnovers abound.. No respect for owning the puck. Keep turning it over. 1 goal and then they stop playing..

[apace41]

Guess we decided 1 period was all we had in us today. 

[dpf1971]

OK People.... I am here.  Let there be calm, I did NOT freeze walking home from work these past 2 mornings.

Howdy!  Yeah, this weather is nuts.  That global warming is a bitch. 

    How cold is it there?

At the Washington Monument in downtown Baltimore - zero or single digits sustained over the last week (wind difference putting it into the negative)