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Wing Clipping Time Again. Ovi HOT! Oshie back, Burky scratched |
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The 14-13-4 Detroit Red Wings make their second visit to Capital One Arena tonight to face a 17-9-3 Washington Capitals team coming off a huge win over divisional rival Columbus. The Caps beat the Wings 3-1 on November 23rd in a game where Braden Holtby was the first star stopping 31 shots.
Tom Wilson had a goal and an assist in that last game vs Detroit but is still out with a concussion since the hit by Ryan Reaves. He has skated but is still a few days away with Friday a possibility for a return.
The good news for Caps fans on the injury front is that TJ Oshie looks like he is ready to return to the lineup vs Detroit for the first time in 11 games since suffering a concussion. While the Caps did go 9-2 without him, his return is a huge boost to the depth of the Caps. They have not had one game yet this year where the full lineup has been available to coach Todd Reirden.
The energetic forward will dive right in head first as he is slotted on the top line with Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom and will resume his position in the slot on the number one power play. Before the injury, Oshie was playing well with 9 goals and 14 points in 18 games. He’ll be coming off the 5th concussion of his career so the team and player took it slow in terms of resuming game action. He felt he could have played last week. Last year Oshie had only one goal in 33 games after returning from a concussion in what some saw as side effects from the layoff.
Ovechkin leads the Capitals and the NHL in goals with 22 as he passed Winnipeg’s Patrik Laine (21) and Tampa Bay’s Brayden Point (21) in the last game vs Columbus. His 36 points lead the Caps and have him in 9th overall league scoring. John Carlson leads all Caps with 25 assists and his 30 points are three behind Ottawa’s Thomas Chabot for blueline scoring leaders in the NHL. Riding a hot 11 game point scoring streak, the Russian Rocket has amassed 10 goals and 6 assists for 16 points over that stretch. He had a goal and an assist in the last game against Detroit in the 3-1 win on November 23rd.
Enigmatic winger Andre Burakovsky will be the healthy scratch tonight as coach Reirden is looking for more from the player. Personally, I’ve always had issues with Burky’s game but mostly because he always leaves you wanting more as his skill set suggests he should be consistently scoring 20 goals. He goes from starting last game on line one to the press box the next game. That is the epitome of his career right there.
Former Capital Mike Green is having a solid year with 3 goals and 16 points in 22 games and to some surprise, his +11 leads the squad also. Red Wings scoring is led by Dylan Larkin’s 29 points and 12 goals while Gustav Nyquist has 20 assists to lead in helpers. The Wings are coming off a win at home over LA in a game where goalie Jimmy Howard was spectacular with 42 saves in a 3-1 victory. Larkin scored a beauty as he seems to have taken the next step in becoming one of the leaders in Motown.
The former fastest skater at the All-Star game has averaged over a hit a game and leads the team in PIM’s with 29 with a more engaging playing style and also is a threat shorthanded with 2 goals and an assist so far on the penalty kill.
Braden Holtby is expected to start after his second shutout of the season against Columbus on Saturday. Madison Bowey left practice today early after an injury but will be good to go tonight.
Caps next game is Friday as they make a trip to Raleigh to play the Carolina Hurricanes at 7:30 PM EST.
Washington Capitals Blogger • 
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