The Washington Capitals have had a 3 day break since their 1-0 win over the Penguins Monday night. On Wednesday the organization decided to lock up forward Matt Hendricks to a two year extension. Hendricks has logged 7 goals and 19 points on the year. Also the trade deadline grows near as well as rumors about Alex Semin being moved. Only time will tell.
Washington will play host to the New York Rangers tonight at the Verizon Center. This will be the Capitals first home game since February 12 in the 4-1 loss vs. the LA Kings. The Rangers lead the season series 2-1 having won the last two. Both teams are coming off wins with the Rangers beating Carolina Tuesday in a shootout.
The Caps have not exactly been successful at home this year winning only 5 of its last 17 games at the Verizon Center. However it’s not all bad news in Washington; the Caps have only allowed 2.06 goals a game in that stretch of 17 games. Since the Caps and Rangers faced off last New York has only won 3 of their last 11 games. They’ve struggled to score more than 3 goals in their past 14 games only succeeding once.
Now is the time the Caps have to start playing well and they are coming off a two game winning streak in a lengthy road trip where they finished 3-2. Alex Ovechkin has accepted the role of captain and is started producing like the Great 8 we all know and love. Some would say this season for Ovi has been a disappointment. Has it? I don’t think so. He has put all the MVP and scoring awards in his rearview mirror and has his sights set on only one thing. The Stanley Cup! Alex has logged 9 goals and 17 points in his last 15 games.
The Rangers are currently in 7th place in the Eastern Conference with 68 points. They trail the Caps by 6 points who are currently in 5th place. For the Rangers tonight Marc Staal (knee), Marian Gaborik (Concussion), Alexander Frolov, and Chris Drury are all out of the lineup. The Caps will still be missing Tom Poti and Eric Fehr. The puck drops at 7 Cap's fans. Rock the Red!
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