A big one for the Caps.
Just the facts
When: Tonight, 7 PM
Where: Capital One Arena – Washington, DC
How to follow: NESN, NHL Network, 98.5 The Sports Hub
Opposing perspective: Japers’ Rink
Know your enemy
- 38-31-11, 87PTS, WC2
- Charlie Lindgren: 23-16-7, 2.77 GAA, .909 save percentage
Game notes
- The Bruins went into Pittsburgh on Saturday night and seriously dented their playoff hopes. They have a chance to do the same in D.C. tonight, as the Capitals are currently ahead of the Detroit Red Wings and Philadelphia Flyers by virtue of a tie-breaker for the second wild card spot.
- The Capitals were in decent (though not set in stone) playoff position a couple of weeks ago, but they have been the authors of their own near-demise: they’re just 3-5-2 in their last ten and are still in a playoff spot because the Red Wings have been just as bad (3-4-3).
- One of those recent Capitals losses came against the Bruins back on March 30, when the B’s won 3-2 in a shootout. That loss was part of a six-game Washington losing streak that somehow didn’t sink their playoff hopes.
- However, the Caps did win last time out, beating the Tampa Bay Lightning 4-2 on Saturday. That game featured a scary injury for Caps defenseman Nick Jensen, who left the ice on a stretcher but is reportedly OK.
- It remains to be seen what kind of lineup juggling Jim Montgomery has in mind tonight. Will Pat Maroon get a night off after seeing his first game action in a while? Are any of the stars set to sit? Probably not, but there’s always some kind of tweaking happening.
- Other than that, there’s not a ton happening for the Bruins. Try to work on the power play, get things tight for the playoffs, and don’t get hurt.
In scoreboard watching news, Detroit will host Montreal, the Penguins will host Nashville, and the Rangers will host Ottawa.
The Hurricanes are now just a point behind the Rangers for first in the Metro — we should all be pulling for the Canes, as that would likely set up an extremely chaotic Rangers-Islanders first round series.
See ya tonight!