Game #76
Caps (49-15-11, 109 points) vs. Ottawa Senators (41-30-5, 87 points)
Caps get a quick chance to shake off the ugly 5-3 loss at home to Calgary on Sunday afternoon. They take on fifth-place Ottawa tonight at Verizon Center at 7 p.m. The Senators have to be the streakiest team in the league. They enter with four wins in a row. That followed a five-game losing streak and nine of 11 losses overall. And that tough run itself followed a string of 13 wins in 14 games. Good luck trying to figure this team out. It appears headed for a tough first-round playoff series with either the Penguins or the Devils – whoever doesn’t win the Atlantic Division. Ottawa is a comfortable five points up on Philadelphia and Montreal. It has also beaten the Caps twice in three meetings this season.
As promised by Caps coach Bruce Boudreau, Jose Theodore goes right back in goal after getting pulled just 10 minutes in against the Flames. He allowed three goals on 11 shots in that one. The injuries are no different than Monday’s practice. Forward Brooks Laich gets to spend another fun night watching from the team suite as the left side of his face heals from a John Carlson ricochet shot in practice last week. Forwards Brendan Morrison (lower-body injury), Scott Walker (knee) and Boyd Gordon (back) are out again. The healthy scratches are defensemen John Erskine and Tyler Sloan.
Shaone Morrisonn is back after having four wisdom teeth removed on Friday. Expect him paired again with Carlson. That puts Mike Green and Jeff Schultz and Tom Poti and Joe Corvo together again as the other pairs. AHL Hershey call-up Mathieu Perreault remains at center after scoring a goal against Calgary.
Washington clinched the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference even after losing to the Flames on Sunday. The final step is winning the President’s Trophy as the overall top seed heading into the playoffs. San Jose has 104 points with six games left. By my always shaky math the magic number to clinch that honor – or that playoff albatross, depending on your point of view – for the first time in team history is eight points. Basically, four wins locks it up for sure. Maximum San Jose can get is 116 points. Chicago still has eight games left and could hit 115. Phoenix could get to 112. The Blackhawks and Coyotes both play tonight, too.
