Game #2
Capitals (1-0) vs. Toronto Maple Leafs (0-1)
Getting set for the Caps’ home opener at Verizon Center tonight. Don’t expect much pomp or circumstance as the Caps raise their second straight Southeast Division championship banner in front of a sellout crowd. The players and coaches have made clear they have far bigger goals in mind this season. The banner will go up, draw a cheer and that’s pretty much it.
Lineups are the same as they were for Thursday’s 4-1 win at Boston – save for goalie Semyon Varlamov, who gets the nod for the first time in 2009-10 in place of Jose Theodore. The Leafs have revamped themselves during the offseason as general manager Brian Burke puts his stamp on the club. Toughness is in order now for Toronto, long one of the NHL’s softer teams. The Caps will have to deal with that – especially Leafs enforcer Colton Orr and new D Mike Komisarek – without F Donald Brashear, who handled those duties in recent seasons, but left for New York in the offseason.
The two teams split four contests last season, with Washington earning five points thanks to a shootout loss on March 24. Caps fans won’t see F Phil Kessel, who was acquired by the Leafs in a blockbuster trade from the Bruins late last month. He is out for another six weeks with a shoulder injury. Considering Kessel scored 36 goals for Boston last year that’s a decidedly good thing for Washington.
