The Bruins are in D.C. tonight to take on the Washington Capitals. The B's are looking to become the second team in the NHL to reach the 20-win mark this season, while the Caps are looking bounce back from a 3-1 loss to division foe Carolina.Just who are these Capitals that you speak of?
Washington Capitals 15-10-3; 33 pts (1st in South(l)east, 3rd in East)
Leading Goal Scorer
Alex Ovechkin: 14 Goals (14-21-35)
Goaltending
Jose Theodore: 17 GP 8-6-1; 3.08 GAA .888 Sv% 1 SO
Brent Johnson: 13 GP 7-4-2; 2.59 GAA .913 Sv%
Guys Who Like to Drop the Gloves
Donald Brashear: 5 Fighting Majors (fought Chara & Thornton last year)
Matt Bradley: 2 Fighting Majors (fought Lucic last year)
'08-'09 Season Series
First of 4 Meetings
Injury Report
Boston
C Stephane Yelle: Doubtful (Upper Body Injury)
LW Marco Sturm: Day-to-Day (Whiplash-like Symptoms)
D Aaron Ward: Day-to-Day (Leg)
D Andrew Ference: Out (Broken Tibia)
Washington
D Tom Poti: Day-to-Day (Groin)
LW Eric Fehr: Questionable (Shoulder)
D Tyler Sloan: Questionable (Foot)
D John Erskine: Day-to-Day(Concussion)
C Sergei Federov: Day-to-Day(Ankle)
LW Alexander Semin: Day-to-Day (Back Strain)
D Mike Green: Day-to-Day(Shoulder)
RW Chris Clark: IR (Forearm Stress Fracture)
D Jeff Schultz: Out Indefinitely (Broken Finger)
D Brian Pothier: Out Indefinitely(Post Concussion Syndrome)
Notes:
- Stephane Yelle, Marco Sturm, and Aaron Ward all skated with the team during morning skate. Yelle said he felt good (he will be a gametime decision), while Sturm and Ward will sit this one out.
- Can the B's shutdown #8?
- Will the bad blood between the teams from late in the regular season last year spill over into this game?
- Can the B's take advantage of a banged-up Caps lineup?
- Verizon Center is becoming a very difficult place for visiting teams. The Caps are 10-1-1 at home this season.
- The Capitals recently called up Massachusetts native Keith Aucoin from the Hershey Bears. The winger was leading the AHL in points at the time of his promotion.
- Two of the greatest hockey fights I have ever seen in person have involved the Washington Capitals.
The first one happened back when I was a sophomore in high school. I was up on the balcony at the then Fleet Center when all hell broke lose on the ice below. Still, one of the best line brawls I have ever seen.
Sometimes, I forget just how cool Pat Burns was...and how much I miss Dale Arnold calling games.
The second one was probably the best one-on-one bout I have ever seen live. I was down in D.C. last fall visiting a friend and I planned the trip around seeing Ovechkin and Caps vs. Crosby and the Pens. AO and The Kid may have been the main attraction but Brashear-Laraque was a nice sideshow.
The second one was probably the best one-on-one bout I have ever seen live. I was down in D.C. last fall visiting a friend and I planned the trip around seeing Ovechkin and Caps vs. Crosby and the Pens. AO and The Kid may have been the main attraction but Brashear-Laraque was a nice sideshow.
- I have a confession to make: I have a soft spot for the Washington Capitals. Growing up on the North Shore prior to the AHL's expansion to Lowell and Manchester, the closest minor league hockey option was the Portland Pirates, the Caps affiliate at the time. I remember going to games in the mid-90's when the Capitals organization had tremendous young talent: Andrew Brunette, Jason Allison, Anson Carter, Richard Zednik, Sergei Gonchar, Jaroslav Svejkovsky, Brendan Witt, Olaf Kolzig, Jim Carey, Byron Dafoe, etc.
- Manny Fernandez will get the start in goal for the B's. He will be going for his 8th straight win.
- To find out what the fat cats down in Washington are saying about tonight's matchup, check out Japers' Rink
Today's Obligatory Embarrassing