It would be franchise’s first against New York
It would be a minor accomplishment during a season with much higher goals. But the Capitals can still make some history tonight when they face the reeling New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden.
Recommended Stories
Capitals at RangersWhen » Wednesday, 7Where » Madison Square GardenTV/Radio » CSN(HD)/1500 AMCaps notes» Forward Viktor Kozlov (groin) did not practice on Tuesday and was described by coach Bruce Boudreau as “very questionable” for tonight’s game against the Rangers. » Forward Alex Semin has dealt with nagging injuries all season. He was deemed “a maybe” by Boudreau for tonight. Semin’s injury was undisclosed, but he did skate for about 10 minutes.» Boudreau said new defenseman Staffan Kronwall — picked up on waivers from the Toronto Maple Leafs last week — is unlikely to crack the lineup against New York.
Washington (34-16-4, 72 points) begins a three-game road trip with a chance to sweep the season series from the Rangers for the first time in franchise history.
New York (29-20-5, 63 points) is winless in its last five games and has slipped to sixth place in the Eastern Conference, just five points from dropping out of a playoff position.
They lost 3-0 to the New Jersey Devils on Monday and were embarrassed 10-2 in a road game at Dallas on Saturday night. Not that the Caps are taking anything for granted at Madison Square Garden, where they had lost six in a row before a 5-4 overtime win on Dec. 23.
“You know [the Rangers] are going to start winning again,” said Caps coach Bruce Boudreau. “They’re too good a hockey club not to start winning. We just hope it’s on the weekend.”
That Dec. 23 contest was a signature victory for Washington, which trailed 4-0 early in the second period. But the Caps stormed back with five unanswered goals, including a pair by Alex Ovechkin, who also netted the game-winner in overtime. Ovechkin has three goals and an assist in the three previous games against New York this season.
That night also marked the resurgence of Caps goalie Jose Theodore, who started for an ailing Brent Johnson and was shelled for three goals on five shots in the first 11 minutes, 15 seconds of play. Theodore returned in the second period when Johnson couldn’t continue, allowed a fourth goal, but was perfect from that point on. In the 16 games he has started since, Theodore has a .920 save percentage and a 2.18 goals against average.
