And Action!
The Caps are set to take on a much stronger Thrashers team tonight, but will be without one of their top scorers in Alex Semin.
Semin, who did not make the trip to Atlanta, is apparently out with an illness. Bruce Boudreau noted that it was better to leave the ailing player behind just in case he was to pass it on to any of the other players. Although he will not make it into the lineup tonight, Boudreau did say there was a good chance that Alex would make the trip to Long Island and could be re-inserted into the linuep against the Islanders.
Boyd Gordon is also still on the mend and as a result of both Semin and Gordon being unable to take to the ice, the Capitals have recalled both Alex Giroux and Keith Aucoin.
It appears that Eric Fehr will replace Alex Semin on the 2nd line and that both Aucoin and Giroux will line up with Chris Clark on the 3rd trio.
Here is the press release from the Capitals regarding Aucoin and Giroux’s recalls:
Capitals Recall Keith Aucoin, Alexandre Giroux from Hershey
ARLINGTON, Va. – The Washington Capitals have recalled center Keith Aucoin and left wing Alexandre Giroux from the Hershey Bears of the American Hockey League (AHL), vice president and general manager George McPhee announced today.
Aucoin (oh-KOIN), 30, is a ninth-year pro who stands 5’9”, 162 pounds. The Waltham, Mass., native was recalled to Washington on Oct. 15, and played in two games for the Caps. He has played in four games for Hershey this year and has one goal and four assists.
Last season Aucoin recorded six points (two goals, four assists) in 12 games with Washington, including five points (two goals, three assists) in the final seven games of the season. He has played in 67 career NHL games with the Capitals and Carolina Hurricanes, recording seven goals and 14 assists.
Giroux (jhi-ROO), 28, was the AHL most valuable player last season after leading the league with 60 goals and 97 points for the Bears. The 6’3”, 202-pound ninth-year pro played 12 games with the Capitals last season and contributed a goal and an assist.
Giroux currently stands tied for third in the AHL in scoring with 10 points (five goals, five assists) in six games. He has points in five of the six games he has played this year, including two goals and an assist in his most recent outing, Saturday night at Binghamton.
As with every Capitals-Thrashers game over the last few seasons, the main focus will be the matchup of Alex Ovechkin and Ilya Kovalchuk. The two most prolific goal scorers in the NHL over the last 3 years, these two always make for highlight reel action when they face each other.
Another matchup to keep your eyes on tonight will that of the young goaltenders. Ondrej Pavelec has been rock solid for Atlanta through the Thrashers opening drive and has been excellent in replacement of the oft-injured Keri Lehtonen. Facing Pavelec will be the Caps future in nets, Semyon Varlamov. Varly has been solid since stuggling through his first two games of the year and was excellent in holding off the Sharks and the Devils.
The Thrashers are a much improved club with the likes of Afinigenov, Antropov and Kubina added to the lineup, but Atlanta’s main threats, and the players that Washington must watch out for tonight, will be guys like Rich Peverley, Evander Kan, Bryan Little and Zach Bogosian. These 4 players are the main reason why the Thrashers outlook is starting to get brighter and why superstar and team captain Ilya Kovalchuk may wind up staying a Thrasher for life.
The Capitals will have to play a very determined game tonight without Semin and Gordon. Varlamov is going to have to stand tall against Kovalchuk, but if anything, I expect Alex Ovechkin to be very excited to play a strong game against his Russian counterpart.
Here are the Caps game notes for tonight, followed by the both lineups…
Game Notes
Fehr-ing well – The Capitals return to game action tonight in Atlanta five days removed from a 3-2 shootout victory over Nashville. Aside from the Olympic Break, the layoff is the longest that the Caps will have in between games this season. Right wing Eric Fehr may be looking forward to tonight’s contest more than anyone on the team. Last season, Fehr scored four of his 12 goals on the season against the Thrashers, and had a +5 rating in six contests. Fehr netted the game-winning goal on Feb. 26 in a 4-3 win against Atlanta at Verizon Center.
Star power –Alex Ovechkin has been named one of the three stars of the game in seven of Washington's eight games this season, and has been one of the NHL's three stars of the week twice in three weeks. He leads the NHL in points (16), goals (9) and shots (61) – all three on a pace significantly higher than his career average. He has points in four straight games (4g-3a, +4), including two points in each of the last three (4g-2a, +4).
Divide and conquer –Washington, the two-time defending Southeast Division champion, plays its first divisional game of the year tonight. Last season the Capitals were 16-8-0 against divisional opponents, including a 4-2-0 mark against Atlanta.
Special circumstances –One thing all four Capitals' wins have in common: near perfect special teams. Washington has scored at least one power play goal and not allowed one in each of its four victories. The Capitals have lost all four games (0-2-2) when they have not scored a power-play goal.
Killing fields –Washington has killed off 12 straight shorthanded situations and ranks ninth in the NHL on the penalty kill (through Tuesday's games) at 84.6%. Last season the Capitals had a 80.6% penalty kill, ranked 17th in the league.
New faces, new roles –Free agent signees Mike Knuble and Brendan Morrison are tied for fourth on the team with seven points through eight games. Knuble has three straight multiple-point games (1g-5a), while Morrison has assisted on three goals in the last two games. Knuble, who has averaged 27 goals per season the last four years, is on pace to surpass his career high in assists by 20, while Morrison, a 12.7% career shooter, shares the NHL lead at 37.5%.
Starting something –Washington has scored first in seven of eight games this year including each of the last five. The Capitals have outscored their opponents 11-2 in the first period.
Lineups
Washington Capitals
Ovechkin-Backstrom-Knuble
Laich-Morrison-Fehr
Giroux-Aucoin-Clark
Laing-Steckel-Bradley
Morrisonn-Green
Poti-Jurcina
Schultz-Pothier
Varlamov
Theodore
*Varly will start
Atlanta Thrashers
Kovalchuk-Antropov-Afinigenov
Kozlov-White-Little
Peverley-Kane-Armstrong
Boulton-Reasoner-Thorburn
Enstrom-Bogosian
Kubina-Hainsey
Schubert-Popovic
*Pavelec
Hedberg
*Pavelec will start
I apologize for the late and somewhat brief preview. I will be back with more after the game, including an update on Michael Nylander’s arrival in Grand Rapids and what this conditioning stint may mean for the beleaguered Swedish centerman.
Puck drop is at 7:00pm.
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Go Caps!!!!!
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