There was a collective gasp across the Nations' Capitol as Braden Holtby left the ice yesterday during practice after colliding with a teammate. The one thing the Caps do not need this post season is the number goalie in the league to go down with injury.
CSN"s Chuck Gormley was quick to confirm, though, that Holtby would just just fine when he received a wink from Tom Wilson. Wilson said, "He'll be OK."
That's good enough for us.
On the other side of that coin, however, is Brooks Orpik's fate. After taking a vicious, though legal, check from Flyers Ryan White, Orpik is listed as day-to-day with an UBI. Mike Weber should be filling in and giving the Caps a big body in front of Holtby, which they'll need tonight as they look to finish off the Philadelphia Flyers.
"You just need to step on their throat and end it," said Weber.
It's not known just yet who will be replacing Orpik, but both Weber and Taylor Chorney are ready to go.
The Capitals have never been up 3 games to 0 - ever - so this is an entirely new experience for a club, and a group of hungry players, who are eager to move past a series that has taken an ugly turn.
“They are relentless, especially in this building, and they have a never-die mentality,… Weber said.
“It’s the hardest one to win every series,… added Jason Chimera said. “They’re not going to roll over. They want to win one game and take one game at a time. So are we.…
The Flyers will be without Pierre-Edouard Bellemare as he was suspended for a brutal check-from-behind on Caps' defenseman Dmitry Orlov.
Orlov was banged up on the play, but patched up on bench, amid flying wristbands, and was able to come back.
I wouldn't say it's time to break out the brooms just yet.
The Flyers will be at their very best, with a lot less of the shenanigans that left the city of Philadelphia shaking their heads in embarrassment. Also look for the crowd to be just as rowdy, especially if the Flyers can't get a hold of the Capitals early on.
I would expect Michal Neuvirth to get the start tonight. He'd love nothing more than a good crack at his old team, and it would also send a message to the Flyers that they let their number one goaltender in Steve Mason down.
Washington's power play, which went 5-9 on Monday, probably won't get the same amount of playtime tonight. The refs will be watching closely, but the game will be much cleaner if the Flyers are to survive a sweep.
How do you like Washington's odds tonight?
More to come...