The Caps will take on the St. Louis Blues tonight at the Verizon Center for the second game in three days with the new star studded cast. All three acquisitions showed promise at each position on Tuesday vs. the Islanders. Marco Sturm showed his speed on the wing when he almost scored in his first game on a breakaway. Jason Arnott proved his veteran qualities at center when he assisted on the tying goal in the final minute of the game. Dennis Wideman showed his endurance and toughness leading the Caps with 26:44 time on the ice.
Washington played the Blues earlier in the season and prevailed with a 4-1 victory. St. Louis will be without the stellar play of goalie Jaroslav Halak because he has been out with a hand injury. We will see if the Capitals can extend their winning streak to three games. The Caps haven’t won three games straight since they beat the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Winter Classic which was the last win of a three game winning streak.
This new group of Capitals had another day to get acclimated with each other on Wednesday, so they should have more chemistry tonight vs. the Blues. I like the new line combinations that Bruce Boudreau had the other night, and they might stay the same. Sturm was put with Ovi and Nicky B who can bring out the best in any player with their talent. Arnott centered well for Semin and Laich, finding both of them for numerous scoring chances. Wideman piloted a defense that was without their leader Mike Green.
In other Caps news, they have signed Dmitri Orlov to a three-year entry level deal. He is a very promising 19 year old prospect for the Caps that has recently been playing for the Hershey Bears. Orlov also helped Russia take gold in the World Junior Championships, logging 9 points in 7 games. He was also named to the All-star team for the tournament along with fellow Washington prospect Evgeny Kuznetsov.
Tune in tonight to see the Caps extend their winning streak. Puck drops at 7. Rock the Red.
In Ovi We Trust.
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