Dec. 13 vs. Winnipeg Jets at Canada Life Centre
Time: 7:00 p.m.
TV: MNMT
Radio: 106.7 THE FAN/Caps Radio Community
Washington Capitals (18-9-4)
Winnipeg Jets (14-15-1)
The Caps take to the highway this weekend, heading to the frozen north and the frozen Midwest for a pair of video games towards Western Convention/Central Division foes. First up is a Saturday evening date with the Jets in Winnipeg, the place the Caps will conclude their season sequence with the Jets. Washington prevailed within the first assembly between the 2 groups this season, taking a 4-3 determination within the District on Nov. 26.
Because it heads out on this two-game journey, Washington has picked up at the very least a degree in 13 of its final 14 video games (10-1-3), and it has factors in every of its final 5 highway video games (4-0-1).
Within the finale of a quick two-game homestand Thursday evening towards Carolina, the Caps misplaced maintain of a slim 2-1 lead late within the third interval, and so they needed to accept a single level in a 3-2 shootout loss to the Hurricanes. Regardless of a sluggish first 40 minutes by which Carolina pressed and pressured them in their very own finish, the Caps and Logan Thompson (37 saves) defended nicely sufficient to enter the third interval all even at 1-1.
Nic Dowd dropped the mitts and fought Carolina winger Jordan Martinook on the opening face-off of the third interval; the latter was miffed at an unpenalized hit Dowd made on Canes defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere late within the second interval; Dowd (5 hits) and linemates Anthony Beauvillier (5) and Ethen Frank (two) mixed for greater than half (12 of 21) of Washington’s hit complete on the evening.
Dowd’s combat sparked the Caps, who picked up their degree of play considerably within the third interval. And on his second shift after exiting the penalty field following the preventing main, Dowd snapped that 1-1 tie along with his second objective of the season, placing the Caps again on high.
That ahead mixture was cobbled collectively for the earlier sport towards Columbus, and so they confirmed nicely that evening, too. Previous to the Columbus sport, the three gamers had logged lower than 5 minutes collectively on the ice all season.
“When Beau performs with [Dylan Strome] and [Alex Ovechkin], he’s nice,” says Caps coach Spencer Carbery of the considering behind the development of that unit. “He is nice and he provides a component to that line that I feel helps them at instances. However the highest quality of Beau is he can play wherever in your lineup. But in addition the place I feel he is at his finest is when he is with two different guys which might be very like-minded, which might be taking part in north, that play with a ton of tempo, which might be very predictable. And doesn’t suggest he cannot play and achieve success with Stromer and O; he can, and he has proven that. However I feel on that line, simply giving him a chance to play with two guys that play precisely that: predictable, north, south – Frankie and Dowder.”
In Sunday’s 2-0 win over Columbus, Frank logged 17:10, probably the most ice time he has had in his 44 profession NHL video games. The match between the three gamers has been sturdy, and whereas Frank and Dowd have performed a good quantity collectively over the past 12 months, they’ve labored fairly nicely with Beauvillier within the small pattern measurement of two video games.
“Dowder communicates loads with each of us,” says Frank. “And Beau has the expertise and the IQ to feed off whoever it might be. I feel he’s a terrific offensive expertise and at getting pucks out of the [defensive] zone; he’s nice at defending the puck and making that first cross to get out. And Dowd, you may most likely hear him within the stands yelling and speaking to us on the ice, and whether or not we’ve time, or chip, or a cross to the center, or no matter it might be. I simply assume their expertise is nice, and it’s simple to learn off.”
Dowd performed his first sport as a Capital again in 2018, whereas each Frank and Beauvillier did so in calendar 2025.
“I prefer to assume that I am taking part in with two people which might be veteran gamers,” says Dowd. “I do know Frankie hasn’t performed a ton of NHL video games, however he is performed a ton of hockey in American League video games, and he is been a big-time participant at that degree. I feel we’re type of beginning to see a few of that come out now; they put him on the facility play, and I assumed he appeared actually good in that scenario.
“However Beau has been round for 700 plus video games, so I feel it is lucky that the 2 guys that I am taking part in with at present are guys that know their type of sport, are predictable and constant, after which I feel I attempt to hold my hat on the very same stuff.
“So, I’d say that it makes it simple to play with gamers like that, as a result of despite the fact that we haven’t performed that many minutes collectively, while you bounce in with one another, you already type of have a really feel of the place one another are more often than not. Once you play with a man for the long run, possibly you already know the place he’s 98 p.c of the time, proper? You play with these new some new gamers, it is perhaps 90 [percent] or just a little bit decrease, however I feel with time and chemistry, it comes.
“After which it’s like, ‘Okay, this man likes to try this.’ Beau likes to carry on to pucks for a pair extra seconds within the nook. Frankie is all the time going to place pucks down behind the web when he will get in hassle. And like, creating these benefits of time and house is what means that you can a get extra [offensive] zone possession. However I feel it creates extra performs later within the shift and later within the sport. Now, you’ve gotten an additional step on the man, as a result of you already know the place the puck goes. I feel that is what the chemistry is all about, is the anticipation of with the ability to get to a spot earlier than anyone else is aware of it is alleged to be there. Taking part in with these two guys, I’ve the flexibility to attempt to do this.”
Winnipeg has been hobbled by the lack of goaltender Connor Hellebuyck, who has been sidelined for almost a month now with a knee harm. Hellebuyck gained his final begin with the Jets, a 4-3 shootout win at Calgary on Nov. 15. With Eric Comrie between the pipes, Winnipeg gained its subsequent sport, beating Columbus 5-2 on house ice. However the Jets have been unable to string collectively consecutive wins since.
Together with the victory over the Blue Jackets, the Jets are 3-8-1 throughout Hellebuyck’s absence, and so they’ve solely held the opposition to 2 or fewer targets towards within the 4 video games by which they earned factors over that span. Since Nov. 18, Comrie has performed all however one sport, beginning 11 of 12, together with each ends of a set of back-to-backs within the first week of December.
Throughout that span, solely the Rangers’ Igor Shesterkin (596:18) has logged extra minutes within the crease than Comrie (577:56) amongst all NHL netminders, and no goalie within the League has made extra begins (11) than Comrie. And whereas the 30-year-old Comrie has seen motion in 10 consecutive NHL seasons now, his complete workload (817:52) this season has surpassed his complete from six of his earlier seasons already, and he’s about six full video games shy of matching the heaviest workload of his NHL profession (1179:33), achieved final season.
Comrie made 31 saves on 35 photographs within the 4-3 loss the Jets suffered within the District late final month.
Washington’s go to to Manitoba’s capital metropolis is the third sport of the Jets’ four-game homestand, and Winnipeg is searching for its first win of the homestand after falling to Dallas and Boston, respectively, within the first two video games. The Jets have dropped three straight general, and they’re 7-7-0 on house ice up to now this season.
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