Game #38
Caps (23-8-6, 52 points) vs. New Jersey Devils (26-8-1, 53 points)
First place in the Eastern Conference is on the line. The Devils are tied for the top spot with Pittsburgh (26-11-1, 53 points), which doesn’t play tonight. The Caps are 0-2-1 against New Jersey this season. The first loss was 3-2 in a shootout on Oct. 12 after Washington led 2-0 in the first period. On Nov. 4, the Devils again won 3-2 – this time in regulation. And on Nov. 14 they won 5-2. The Caps also led that one 2-0 in the first period. So does Washington need to win tonight? It won’t get another chance against New Jersey unless they meet again in the Stanley Cup playoffs.
“Well, we want to get one, obviously. But our history from last year proves that you don’t have to beat somebody for them to beat you,” Caps coach Bruce Boudreau said. “We were 3-0-1 against Pittsburgh and I think [2-0-2] against Jersey last year. We certainly would like to [win tonight] for our own psyche and to be first overall, quite frankly. But it’s the last time we play them and it’s still December. I think if we played them in late May everybody would forget about what happened in those earlier game.”
Rookie goalie Michal Neuvirth starts for the third game in a row, according to Boudreau. He’s won the previous two against Edmonton and Buffalo. Defenseman Tom Poti is out with an undisclosed injury. But Boudreau labeled him “day-to-day”. Will try to get a more detailed injury update after the game. Brian Pothier is still out with a rib injury. Boyd Gordon is on a rehab assigment with AHL Hershey.
