Preview of Game 12: Washington Capitals

(Sigh) The Ducks next game is in the nation’s capital. (Gulp) They will face one of the top teams in the entire league on Tuesday night. This one could get ugly.

Well, here’s one thing the Ducks have in common with the Caps. Both teams are trying to avoid losing a third straight game. However, here’s a big difference. The Caps went 7-0-0 before losing two straight, including a drubbing of the Detroit Red Wings. In their last game, the Capitals lost to the Canucks 7-4. They got overwhelmed by the Canucks forecheck and allowed two power play goals in the first period. They then rebounded with three goals in the third period to tie it up at 4-4 going into the third period. After a bad penalty by Alex Ovechkin, the Canucks took the lead with a goal by Henrik Sedin. Then, just 34 seconds later, Chris Higgins scored to give the Canucks a 6-4 lead and the Capitals were done.

Michal Neuvirth made the start in net in Vancouver, however, Tomas Vokoun will be back in net tonight for the Caps. Ovechkin scored two goals in the game against Vancouver, including a goal on the power play in the second period. Ovechkin along with Nicklas Backstrom have been deadly on the power play this season. 8 of Backstrom’s 12 points and 6 of Ovechkin’s 9 points are all on the power play. Don’t forget about wily veteran Mike Knuble, though, because he is still putting up good numbers. On the blue line, Mike Green, Dennis Wideman, Karl Alzner and John Carlson have all made impacts offensively while still playing good defense.

Players to Watch:

WSH – F – Alex Ovechkin: It’s really take your pick with all of their forwards because they’ve got a lot of forwards that can score goals at any time.
WSH – G – Tomas Vokoun: The free agent signing has been great for the Caps so far. He’s got a record of 6-1, with a GAA of 2.15 and a save percentage of .932.
ANA – F – Teemu Selanne: So far, the only real consistent offensive weapon for the Ducks. He’s got 10 points in the Ducks’ 11 games.
ANA – F – Nick Bonino: The youngster will make his first appearance for the Ducks this season. Changes needed to be made, let’s see if this change is what the doctor ordered.

Prediction:

The last time the Ducks visited Washington, they came out with a close win. This time around might be very different. The Caps have lost two straight and are a much hungrier team than the Ducks right now. If the Ducks don’t pick it up, tonight could be a very embarrassing game for the Ducks on national TV………awesome.

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